Operation Formosa
by BH72
Summary: A death of a petty officer onboard USS Arlington involve Gibbs' team and discover NCIS agents undercover. Vance reads the team in on Operation Formosa, the Colombian Cartel who killed Agent Greg Smith and his daughter. When Agent Nassir returns home, the LA team work against the clock to find him and his wife who've been kidnapped. Sequel to Lost Too Much.
1. Chapter 1

Operation Formosa

By BH72

_Disclaimer: All events in this story are nonfiction and do not relate to anything that may happen on NCIS. The characters belong to Shane Brennan and CBS, I am thankful that I am able to borrow them until the next episode._

_A/N: Sequel to my NCISLA story, 'Lost Too Much'. Starring Agent Nassir (NCISLA episodes: Found, Exit Strategy and Rude Awakenings part 2) played by Tom Winter. He'll be the common thread between NCIS and NCISLA._

**Chapter 1**

Leon Vance rubbed his hand over his face, as he looked at the files in front of him. This latest operation for his people had been a bad one. Usually cases such as this one would have been dealt with by the DEA, but with the problem entering US Naval ships, Sarah Porter had urged him to put his own people undercover and flush the criminals out, until they found the man at the top. Four months of NCIS agents, good men who had families waiting for them at home, had their lives placed on hold. A well known and feared Columbian crime family, the Formosa Cartel had managed to devise an extremely complex system to cart cocaine onto their naval ships and then pushed across the east coast of America, killing and depending thousands of young people to the drug. There had to be people at the ports each end as well as on board the ships.

Leon knew that they were getting close to finding the proof they needed to make the arrests. His men were tired, but so far no one had been burned, a fact which he was thankful for. They all were well experienced in going deep undercover and he had personally handpicked them from offices around the country. He looked up when his team leader for his local team entered the room.

"Gibbs." He closed the files on his desk and waited for the former marine sniper to talk to him on his current case. A dead naval petty officer on the USS Arlington.

"Leon, we need to talk." Gibbs sat down in the black leather chair, opposite him.

Leon raised his brow in anticipation of what was on his lead's mind. He knew it was important, otherwise Gibbs' wouldn't be there wasting his time.

"This case is far bigger than a dead naval officer, Leon. We've interviewed the crew and I found one of our own men onboard, undercover. Why do we have NCIS Agent Michael Nassir on board as a Master Chief Petty Officer? And some background search on some other crew members tell me that he's not the only agent onboard." Gibbs remained his gaze on his boss. He knew that there was something big going on, which he dread would hamper his own investigation.

Leon sighed, as Gibbs continued to hold his ground. "It's a need to know case, Gibbs, and I suppose you are now in that position of needed to know." Leon passed the files on his desk over to him. "Everything you need to know about Operation Formosa."

Gibbs raised his brow at the title of the operation. "You've got men undercover to deal with the Formosa Cartel?" Gibbs' furrowed his brow, as his worry returned.

"Look, Gibbs. I know you lost a good friend, when our agency last dealt with this cartel, but the DEA need our help on this. Our ships are being used to import the drugs into our borders. Too many young people are dying or have had their lives ruined from their dependance on this combination of cocaine. It's highly addictive and more lethal than any other form of cocaine that we've ever seen in this country. We need to stop this now, before another family have to bury their son or daughter from this drug.

Gibbs' fear for the agents undercover in this operation grew within him. But he understood the pressure placed on the Director. Gibbs scanned the intel as he flipped over to the next page. "This is a lot of deaths from the drug, Leon." He shook his head and realised just how serious this problem was. "This will help us find Petty Officer 1st class, Phillip Cromwell's murderer. These are all the suspects found onboard USS Arlington?"

"So far. We're close to making arrests, but now that we have a death of a Petty Officer on one of the naval vessels under investigation, we need to act fast. We need this ship back out at sea as soon as possible, without the arousal of suspicion for these suspects, that we are on to them." Leon advised him, not happy with the situation at all.

"You cannot be serious, Leon. We need to complete this investigation without the pressure of this added onto it. What if the murderer is one on your list of suspects? Now that I know about this ongoing operation, it's most probably going to be one of these men," he held the file in his hand, waving it at Leon, "whose guilty of killing Cromwell."

Leon met Gibbs' blue eyes and knew the man was right. "That's what I'm afraid of." He admitted. "Interview these men again, but include the men that you suspect as being undercover as well, so not to arouse suspicion, and make your arrest quietly. I need our men home soon, with this problem is gone." He'd had an ear full already that morning for Sarah Porter, their SecNav. Her patience was running thin over another five youths' deaths this last weekend alone.

"Okay, Leon." Gibbs left at full force, eager to prove that one of these suspects were the guilty murderer. He ran down the stairs and threw the file over at Ellie Bishop. "Read this file, then pass it on to DiNozzo and McGee when they return to their desks. No one is to talk about what is written in these files."

Ellie nodded her head and started to read them. Her mind raced at fast speeds as her brain processed the intel inside them. Her synapses placed important data in various files of her brain, ready for her to analyse and relate it to their current case. It had been a huge experience for her to go onboard the USS Arlington, her first visit onto a naval ship. It was a mass of mazes underneath and wondered how anyone ever got their jobs done, as she was sure she would spend most of her time working out where she had to go. After going through the files, she went back to their notes on the case at hand with the dead Petty Officer, Phillip Cromwell. She looked at his known associates and crossed matched them with any of the suspects from the file. Five of the suspects worked alongside, one shared a cabin with. She furrowed her dark brows, twisting her blonde hair through her fingers, as her eyes came to another name, not on either list. Her background check of this Petter Officer came back sketchy. "Hey, Gibbs!"

Gibbs looked up at Bishop, not surprised she had finished reading the files.

"What about Petter Officer, Zachary Wallace?" Ellie handed him his photo. "His background is sketchy,"

"We'll bring him in for further questions." Gibbs stood to find some decent coffee. "Did you find any of the names in the file against the men in Cromwell's list of associates?"

Bishop nodded. "Five of them."

"Bring them all in, plus anyone else with a sketchy background." He left for the lift as Tony and McGee arrived.

"Boss!" Both men looked over to Ellie, wondering where their boss was heading.

"Coffee." Tony and McGee nodded in agreement. Neither wanted to deal with their boss when he was in the need for some coffee. She threw the files at Tony. "For our eyes only. Not to talk about what's inside." She locked her hazel eyes on them, with the directive order from Gibbs.

Tony paused as he held the files in his hand, his eyes darting over to McGee from the seriousness of what Bishop had told them. He slid behind his desk and poured over the information spread out before him. There had been many occasions where he was in a similar situation to this one. He eyed Bishop as she made some phone calls. He was a curious creature and wondered what it was that she had found inside the files. He returned his attention to the photos and names and then at the informations from their current case. There would be no brownie points from the boss on this case, with Bishop being ten steps ahead of him and McGee already. An email alert came up on his screen from Bishop. He looked over to McGee and saw he was curious as well. They both opened it, telling them the details she had found already.

"Hurry up with those files, Tony," McGee called over, "I've got a lot of catching up to do."

"Yeah, sure." Tony, returned his focus and sped through the intel. "Here you go." He stood over McGee with a serious look about his face, which told him that whatever was inside those files was pretty big.

"Thanks." McGee poured over the information, getting himself up to speed before their boss returned. By the time he finished, numerous visitors arrived on their floor; JAG lawyers with the Petty Officers and Master Petty Officers from the USS Arlington.

Gibbs walked through the crowd and led them to the interrogation rooms. The place was crowded, with others waiting in the conference room. They had to work fast to get through their rounds of questionings, before they could allow any of them to leave.

Leon Vance stood behind the one way mirror and watched Gibbs and his team at work in two interrogation rooms. Gibbs and Bishop in one, Tony and McGee in the other. His nerves were on tender hooks, but was pleased that he questioned the suspects from his ongoing operation first and the undercover agents last, who sat in the conference room waiting their turn. It was strange seeing them all in the office, neither agent knew the other for their part in the operation. They only dealt with their handler to feed intel back to them, which helped them keep their aliases intact. But he wondered if any had suspected the other to be undercover like themselves. He refocused on the men inside the interrogation rooms at present. They had enough rooms to keep each of the five suspects Bishop had matched in with the dead Petty Officer, which he was pleased with. Sometimes it became a little too crazy down there.

Two down and another three to go. Gibbs and his team weren't convinced that either suspects interviewed so far were guilty of his death. Gibbs sat opposite Petty Officer Shaun O'Leary. His whole demeanour had Gibbs interested as soon as he was brought into the room. Gibbs kept his focus on the man before him and waited patiently for him to settle, before asking him any questions. The USS Arlington was preparing to leave for South America on the following day, so time was tight on the questioning.

"How was your working relationship with Petter Officer 1st class, Phillip Cromwell?" Gibbs went straight to the point.

"We didn't have one." O'Leary replied sharply. "He was a pain in the ass."

Ellie Bishop rested her body in the corner of the room, unnoticed by O'Leary. She studied his whole body language and facial expressions, as he listened and then answered Gibbs's questions. If he wasn't their guilty suspect, then she was sure he was very much behind it. His hatred for Cromwell was evident, as he sat beside his JAG lawyer. He wasn't nervous, more cocky than anything else, she noted.

"Where were you at o'five hundred this morning?" Gibbs questioned him again.

"Asleep, in my cabin," he met Gibbs' stare with his green eyes, "you can ask my bunk mates."

"One of your bunk mates is dead." Gibbs raised his voice. "Did you follow him?"

"I'm not a stalker." O'Leary replied curtly.

"Perhaps he was following you?" Ellie Bishop moved forward, bringing herself out of the shadows of the corner. "Got something to hide, O'Leary?" She leaned over the table beside Gibbs and knitted her brows together as her face tightened from annoyance over O'Leary's cockiness.

"Oh a wild cat. Where have you been hiding, sweetheart?" There was a level of amusement in O'Leary's voice as he hinted a smile in her direction.

"Answer the question." Bishop responded, unmoving from her position. Her voice remained firm, proving to him that she was no push over.

O'Leary leaned back into his chair and looked at his lawyer. "I'm not talking anymore."

Gibbs fisted his hands on the table annoyed over the games O'Leary played with them. He was cocky and sure of himself, but refused to co-operate with them. He was looking guilty, if not the murderer, he knew who had killed Cromwell. He stood and exited the room, finding Vance in the small room between the two interrogation rooms they were using.

"He knows something, Gibbs." Vance turned and faced him. "Along with DiNozzo's friend." He nodded to the other one way glass, where Tony and McGee questioned Petty Officer, Glendon Cary. "Both have been cocky from the moment they entered the room and closed up shop when it came to the punch about the dead Petty Officer."

"Cut them loose. We'll see if any of the others we've brought in for questioning can give light on the situation." Gibbs looked between both suspects and knew he had the murderer in his grasps. But without evidence or being able to use the information provided from 'Operation Formosa,' he had nothing to hold them on. He turned to face Vance. "We'll have them followed to keep an eye on them. We need to talk to the others, but without the JAG lawyers. They've sat in with our suspects, if we're to get anywhere with this case, we need the others to spill on what they know about O'Leary and Cary."

"Okay, Gibbs." Leon nodded. "Just remember, the USS Arlington leaves port at o'eight hundred tomorrow morning."

"Then my team and I have a lot of work to do." Gibbs left, looking for Abby.

"Hey, Gibbs." She hugged her boss firmly. "You look like you could do with some good news."

He looked over at the goth and smiled. "What you got, Abs?"

"That's better." She turned in her high heeled black leather boots and brought up forensics on her screen. "Petty Officer Cromwell had a run in with two attackers, Gibbs. I've managed to pull off finger prints from Cromwell's uniform and DNA from under his skin. Our suspects are dumber than dumb. It wasn't planned, Cromwell was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Probably saw something he wasn't suppose to see." She typed away and brought up two suspect photos up on her screen.

Gibbs furrowed his brow as he moved in closer. He turned his head around and looked at Abby. "Are you sure they were his attackers? Could these be from someone trying to help him?"

Abby frowned. "What is it, Gibbs?" She typed away on her keyboard and brought the evidence up on the screen. "Both suspects should have scratch marks on their skin. Cromwell put up a fight, before he died."

Gibbs ran from the lab and bolted along the corridor to the front of the building, in hope to find the men he was sure were behind Cromwell's death, before they left the building. He managed to catch up with them in reception. He pulled their sleeves up and were annoyed that neither man had scratches on their arms, torso or faces. Any area Cromwell would have fought back. These men were not their suspects. "You're both free to go." O'Leary and Cary laughed as they left the Navy Yard and headed back to their ship.

"What was that all about, boss?" Gibbs turned and found DiNozzo watching him from near the lift.

"Abby said that Cromwell was killed by two attackers. They would have scratches on them, but the DNA and fingerprints found on the victim, do not match up with either of them." He was annoyed, as his gut told him that both were guilty. Guilty of what though? Perhaps he was allowing his knowledge of Vance's operation and his personal history to the cartel, to cloud his judgements. Why did he feel that they had killed him together? He stood in the lift with Tony, mulling over the information. The lift doors opened, allowing Gibbs to head towards the conference room. Tony followed closely behind, indicating to McGee and Bishop who had returned to their desks, to follow suit.

The team followed their leader, up the stairs towards the conference room. Gibbs bust the door open to the unsuspecting men inside. "I want you all to roll up your sleeves and unbutton your shirts. If you have a T-shirt on underneath, I want it removed."

All the men looked worryingly at each other before obeying. Agent Nassir was the first to strip off his naval shirt and T-shirt, showing off his toned body. Gibbs nodded to him and told him to put his clothes back on. Gibbs stood behind the two men whose names came up on Abby's DNA checks and fingerprints. The names that came up on the screen didn't match their Petty Officer names on their uniform. They were NCIS agents and they had a lot of explaining to do.

"The rest of you can go back to your ship." He looked at the men before him. "You two come with me." He led them downstairs along with his team, Bishop and McGee were out of the loop from the latest information that Abby had told him.

Vance watched on from the small room between the two interrogation rooms where NCIS Agents, Bradley Wilson and Harry Chambers, sat. Gibbs began with Wilson, unsure where to start, knowing now that like Agent Nassir, they were NCIS agents. "Petty Officer Peter Clark." He began. He paced the room before sitting in the chair opposite him. "Or should I call you NCIS Agent Bradley Wilson?" He caught Wilson's attention immediately.

"Agent Wilson will do, sir." Gibbs hated moments like this, where one of their own came into question.

"Agent Wilson. Will you please explain the scratches on your arms?" Gibbs waited patiently for him to answer. Surprisingly, he didn't have to wait long.

"I was attacked, sir." Wilson remained in an upright position in his chair, with both hands clasped on the table. He had nothing to hide.

"You were attacked? By whom?" Gibbs sat back, observing the agent before him.

"By Petty Officer Phillip Cromwell, sir." Blue met blue, when Wilson and Gibbs looked at each other. "I need to speak with Director Vance,"

Vance entered the room. "I am here, Agent Wilson. Agent Gibbs and his team have been read into Operation Formosa. You may continue."

Wilson nodded and took a sip of water from the glass that sat on the table. "I was following two suspects for the past four months, Petty Officers O'Leary and Cary. They were cocky, but hard to catch in the act. I needed evidence of them being involved with bringing the drugs into the country. Cromwell found me following them and attacked me. He caught me off guard and knocked me out. The next thing I knew was that Chambers was taking me to sickbay. I have no memory of anything else that went down, sir."

Gibbs looked over to Vance and knew he needed confirmation from NCIS Agent Chambers over this story. He stood and left the room, walking 12 metres to another door. He entered and found Tony asking him questions. Agent Chambers looked as innocent as Wilson. It was a set up and his gut instinct over O'Leary and Cary came flooding back. Tony moved for him to sit down.

"Tell me what happened at o'five hundred this morning." As far as the intel gathered from Vance's agents on this operation, Cromwell's name hadn't come into it at all.

"I heard a scuffle outside my cabin and found Petty Officer Clark being tackled by Petty Officer Cromwell, sir. I fought him off, but Clark hit his head hard on the metal pipe, knocking him unconscious. Cromwell pulled out a gun, he caught me by surprise and was about to shoot Clark and myself. I had no choice but to defend us. I managed to pull the gun off Cromwell, but he lunged at me and I fired in reaction." Chambers lowered his head, in shame. He hadn't wanted to kill the officer, only injure him, so he could get help. He looked back up and looked straight at Gibbs. "I needed to get Clark to sickbay, urgently."

"Why didn't you come forward earlier with your defence?" Gibbs was pleased to have found the solution to their case, but it wasn't the one he had wanted.

"I couldn't, sir. It would have risked me breaking cover. Four months of my hard work gone." Gibbs nodded in understanding.

"You share a cabin with Petty Officer Cary, correct?" Chambers nodded. "I never liked him. I saw leave about five minutes before I head the commotion outside. I was expecting it to be him with O'Leary, the two were tight. I never expected to find Cromwell attacking Clark."

Gibbs looked through the mirror before continuing. "Petty Officer Clark told us that you helped him after Cromwell attacked him. Do you know Clark?" He studied him carefully.

Chambers nodded. "We were in the marines together, years ago. When we found ourselves both undercover on the same ship, we knew it was important to keep ourselves apart. We never talked. This morning was the first time I made contact with Wilson." His use of Agent Wilson's real name, proved that they two agents knew each other.

"Agent Wilson told us that he was following O'Leary and Cary, when Cromwell attacked him. Did you know that O'Leary and Cary were suspected being involved in the drug trafficking on board?" Gibbs continued his questioning.

Cromwell nodded. "I knew. But I kept my distance, when I knew that Wilson was dealing with them. I had my own fish to fry. But now I believe Cromwell was working with them. Why else would he've attacked Wilson for following the others?" It was the only thing that made sense to Chambers over the attack.

"It may be too dangerous for you and Wilson to return to USS Arlington, Agent Chambers. Both of your identities may have been burned. We need to keep you here." Gibbs began, when Vance entered.

"They need to go back, Gibbs. We need them to finish the job." Vance reiterated their earlier conversation.

"We can place them under arrest for the murder of Petty Officer Cromwell, and allow the other agents onboard to finish the job. Have their handler tell them the identities of the other agents and allow them to finish this. But it's too dangerous for Wilson and Chambers to return." Gibbs hated it when he and Vance head butted on a case, but their lives were more important.

Vance stood and thought over what Gibbs' proposed. "It could be too risky to allow the agents to know about the others. If any of the suspects pick up on changes in our agents, they too could be in danger."

"Tell them the risks and who they have on board to back them up. We were fortunate that Wilson and Chambers knew each other. We could have had two dead agents on our hands if they hadn't known that they had the other for support." Gibbs left the interrogation room and headed for the mortuary. He needed to talk to Ducky over this case. It was getting to him more than normal. Worry for the other agents on this case grew within him. He could see the toll of the past four months in Vance and the agents' eyes, when he entered the conference room earlier.

_Love to know your thoughts to this new story. Please leave a review._


	2. Chapter 2

Operation Formosa

By BH72

_Disclaimer: All events in this story are nonfiction and do not relate to anything that may happen on NCIS. The characters belong to Shane Brennan and CBS, I am thankful that I am able to borrow them until the next episode._

_A/N: Thanks for the wonderful reviews and for taking the time to read this story._

**Chapter 2**

The other agents returned to the USS Arlington to finish the operation that they had been working on, for the past four months. Agent Nassir saw the sadness in Agent Gibbs' eyes when he entered the conference room. He knew that there were other agents involved in the case that he was working on, but had no idea of their identity. He wondered if the men Gibbs had taken to interrogation were NCIS agents. As he entered his cabin, he found his handler sitting on his bed. He hadn't seen him in three weeks, so he was surprised to see him.

"Jack, what are you doing here?" His eyes reflected the sadness over what had transpired earlier that morning, but seeing his handler, pulled him out of it.

"The risks have soared, my friend. I'm told to tell you who else on this ship is here for your backup. We almost lost two agents this morning." Jack's grey eyes bore the concern for Michael. "Cromwell attacked one of our own, another agent killed him to save the other agent and himself. Director Vance thinks it's too risky for you to not know the identities of the others for this case, Mick."

"Cromwell was in on this?" He hadn't suspected Cromwell. His suspects were higher up the chain, Ensign Roger Davies and Lieutenant Lewis Jackson.

"It looks that way. Cromwell attacked one of our own, who were following his suspects, O'Leary and Cary. You know them?" Jack stood, ready to leave. It was always important to keep his visits short.

"Yes I do. You want me to watch them?" Jack nodded.

"Be careful." He left Nassir and headed upstairs to his office. He was the onboard NCIS agent, who was delivering information between Director Vance and the agents on board. He knew the ship like the back of his hand, so moving about undetectable was a breeze. But even as he walked up a couple of flights of stairs and down some corridors, towards his office, he felt eyes watching him. Fear for all of them grew within Jack's gut. He needed to call Vance fast. They all needed to get out of there ASAP.

**_Navy Yard…_**

Ellie Bishop poured over the notes from their now closed case. With the USS Arlington leaving port in ten hours time, they had no cause to return to the ship and help the undercover agents onboard. O'Leary and Cary were too cocky for their liking. Even Gibbs appeared to be on edge from it all. She was aware that Gibbs knew one of the agents onboard, but the rest were strangers, yet he treated them all as one of their own. But today, Gibbs was more curt than normal in his approach with his team. His frustrations were vented onto all of them around him. They understood the reasons behind it, and really wanted to help. Abby had filled her into what happened over a year ago, with Gibbs' friend and daughter. Gibbs' behaviour made perfect sense to her. So she picked up her laptop and files and left their open office, for a quiet room. She found one vacant and slipped inside. She needed to focus to find what it was that had been niggling at her since the beginning of this case. Vance had stressed that this case was now closed for them, but it never was, when more agents were in danger.

Timothy McGee entered Abby's lab and wasn't surprised to find Tony down there. "You too?" He raised his brow in question.

Tony nodded. "I love the boss, but I can't think with all that negative energy pouring out of him."

"Well then you can make yourselves useful, if you're going to hang out down here. At least then if Gibbs finds you down here, you are seen to be doing something productive." Both agents nodded and followed Abby's directive. She handed them a laptop each. "We're tapping into USS Arlington's security system, for starters." She looked at McGee. "If we can't be on board to help our men stay safe, we can at least be another set of eyes to help warn them."

McGee nodded and set to work to break through the firewalls of the naval ship's security system. Abby cleaned up behind McGee's breaking in, so they couldn't be traced.

"What do you want me to do, Abs?" Tony watched on amazed at how swift Abby and McGee worked together. "Tell me again why the two of you never worked out as a couple?"

Two sets of eyes pierced through his soul, as embarrassment and something Tony couldn't quite get his finger on from Abby, displayed on their faces.

"Shut up, Tony." McGee replied. "Don't ever mention our history around Delilah. It's hard enough having her working abroad and only getting to see her once in a while."

"I don't mean to offend either of you," Tony tried to reason, "if you could just see what I see," their eyes glared intently at him again, "how the two of you seamlessly work together without even talking, like you're mind reading or something. It's beautiful. Like two souls who were meant to be together." Tony grinned from ear to ear, satisfied he had managed to tell them what he thought.

Abby punched Tony in the upper arm, causing pain to shoot through him. "Ouch! What's that for?"

"Shut up, Tony." Abby glared at him once more before turning around and refocusing on her job. Her face had flushed to a red colour from embarrassment. The truth was that she had been jealous of McGee and Delilah at the beginning, that was before she got to know the DEA analyst. Now she was really happy for McGee and had stopped ever hoping for them to get back together again. They were good friends, best friends, and worked well together.

"I'm only speaking the truth." Tony continued to defend himself. His words now fell on deaf ears as Abby and McGee focused on the job at hand. He succumbed to their silence and decided to join them. "What do you want me to do, Abs?"

His change of tactics rewarded him with a smile from the goth Forensic Scientist. She walked over to him and brought up a site and broke through the password and secured site. "Here." She pointed to the files. "Copy everything you can onto this thumb drive. We need everything you can find on the Formosa Cartel. We can get Ellie to analyse the data," Abby looked behind Tony, "she's not coming too?" Abby was used to Ziva following the boys down to her lab, when hiding out from upstairs.

"She's gone awol." Tony shrugged. "Couldn't hack Gibbs, so she took her laptop and files and hid herself away in a room somewhere. I don't blame her. I wish I could do that sometimes,"

"You'd miss us." Abby butted in. "You'd go stir crazy not having us to talk to, like you are doing now." She pointed to the laptop. "Focus, Tony." Tony nodded and returned his focus on his task.

Gibbs looked around him and realised he was alone in their bull pen. He looked at his watch and realised that it was late and thought they had gone home. But evidence of their bags and coats proved otherwise. He narrowed his eyes as he looked around. Other staff in their office had gone home for the night, but Vance remained upstairs, undisturbed. He heard a noise from above and followed the Director's footsteps with his eyes as he left his office for MTAC. The undercover operation 'Formosa' had hit a nerve with him and something hadn't settled inside his gut about O'Leary and Cary. After the confession from their agents, Wilson and Chambers, he worried over Nassir and the other agents onboard not only the USS Arlington, but every other ship where agents had been placed for the past four months, deep undercover for this operation. He knew how violent the cartel were, after one survivor of the cartel from their agency's previous operation, led to the death in a park of his friend and colleague, Special Agent Greg Smith, and his ten year old daughter, Carrie. He decided to bite the bullet and ran up the stairs. He scanned his blue irises and let himself inside MTAC. He was quiet as he entered, hoping for Vance not to detect his arrival. He slid into a chair at the rear and listened into the Director's conversation with their onboard NCIS agent.

"Are you sure that you were being followed, Agent Stevens?" Jack Stevens nodded his head. "From Agent Nassir's cabin to here, sir. It's no longer safe for any of us to be onboard. Request to abort this operation before another threat be placed on any more of our agents, sir."

"I will need approval from the SecNav, Agent Stevens. We still have nine hours before your ship leaves port. Be careful in the meantime. Stay clear of all agents on board." Vance's brown eyes looked worried when he turned around and found Gibbs sitting there. "Gibbs, what are you doing in here?"

Gibbs stood and pointed to the screen. "Agent Stevens is right. O'Leary and Cary are onto our agents, Leon. They're too cocky, they know something, far more than the job that they're being paid to do by the Formosa Cartel. It wouldn't take much for any of the suspects on this list to follow any of our people onboard this ship or any others involved in this operation and we then lose twenty-five men. Twenty-five, Leon. That's a hell of a lot of agents to lose in one operation. Five men on five ships, let alone our assigned agents to each ship. How long would it take for news to spread from the USS Arlington to the USS Winston Churchill?" He'd seen the list of ships in the files and knew that each ship under surveillance ported in Norfolk.

"Not long." Leon agreed. "Not long with the level of suspects on each of these ships going as far up the ladder as Lieutenant. If it was only Petty Officers, we might have been able to of contained the situation on USS Arlington." He took a few steps towards the door, before turning back. "I'm acting as fast as I can on this one, Gibbs. Have your team ready, just in case we need you to get our men out."

Gibbs nodded and pondered for a moment, before he went in search for his team. He guessed that Bishop would be hidden away somewhere focussing on something and that the boys would be with Abby. At least they were all very predictable on where to find them in this building. He tested doors along the way. If they were locked, he knocked and waited for an answer. If they were unlocked, he opened and peeped inside. _It had to be the last room she'd pick._ Gibbs gently knocked on the door and turned the handle. Ellie Bishop sat on the floor with her laptop on her lap, surrounded by files. He smiled when he noticed what it was that she was working on, Operation 'Formosa.' She had his back and he was impressed by how quickly Bishop had slotted into the team.

"Found anything?" Ellie looked up with full concentration expressed on her face and in her hazel eyes. Her dark brows remained knitted together as she analysed the data in front of her.

"I think so." She pried herself from the floor, and moved the laptop and files onto the table, which she had pushed into the corner. "Here." She urged Gibbs to sit down and then went through with him what she had concluded. "O'Leary and Cary, have a history of getting into trouble on the USS Winston Churchill, USS Stout, USS Normandy and the USS Gravely, all ships involved in the investigation on drug smuggling. Both Petty Officers were moved to the other ships together, by their overseeing Lieutenants. They all have to be involved in this. This is all a ruse, Gibbs. O'Leary and Cary are being paid to look like trouble, but what they are really doing, is moving easily between all the ships that the Formosa Cartel are using for drug smuggling. Intel between each ship is easily maintained through these two Petty Officers. During their time on each ship, they succumb other Petty Officers to the Cartel and that is why Cromwell wasn't on our agents' list. He's a new recruit. They should have been separated or placed in the brig, not sent together to another ship."

Anger bubbled below the surface, while Gibbs listened intently to Bishop's findings. "Good work, Bishop. Let's find Tony and McGee and sort these goons out for good."

Ellie scrambled the files together and laptop into her arms and followed Gibbs to the lift. Gibbs allowed her to enter first, before pressing the button for the basement. As the doors pinged open, he could hear Tony's chatter from the lab. He and Bishop were swift in their movement and observed the three of them involved in their own research for operation 'Formosa'. Gibbs smiled, proud of his team. "What you got, Abs?" His voice caught the three of them off guard, making them jump, with Tony rushing to voice his defence in being down there.

"Ah, hi boss. We're just helping Abs break into the Formosa Cartel and the USS Arlington's security systems." He gave Gibbs a nervous smile, waiting for their boss to node in approval. He relaxed when Gibbs smiled at them.

"Gibbs," Abby pulled him over, "McGee and I have tapped into the security cameras on board of the USS Arlington. You've got to see this?" She showed Agent Jack Stevens leave Agent Nassir's cabin and O'Leary and Cary following him.

Gibbs nodded. "We've got to get them out of there. Contact Stevens and tell him to stay locked in his office." He instructed Abby, as he bolted out of the lab, in a rescue attempt to Vance's office. As he waited for the lift doors to open, he shouted back to them. "Gear up."

Bishop, McGee and Tony followed their boss, pleased to be doing something to help their men onboard the USS Arlington.

Gibbs barged through the doors into Director Vance's office. He stopped midway when he saw the grim look on his face. His cell rang and saw that it was Abby. He pressed to answer and his face fell when he heard her voice. "Gibbs, Agent Stevens has been stabbed. I just saw it, we've got to get our men out of there."

Gibbs pressed his cell on speaker, so Vance could hear Abby's frantic call. Leon picked up his phone and dialled. "Go." He told Gibbs.

Gibbs put his phone to his ear. "Thanks, Abs. Let the Captain know, and call for paramedics. We're on our way. Was it O'Leary and Cary?"

"Yes it was, Gibbs. Hurry!" She watched on in horror as the two Petty Officers continued to stab Agent Jack Stevens until his body went limp and his eyes stared out into space. They would be too late. She quickly dialled the Bridge on the USS Arlington and set off an emergency alarm on the ship. "NCIS Agent Jack Stevens has been stabbed. His body's been moved back inside his office."

"Who is this?" A stern voice on the other end of the call asked her.

"I am calling on behalf of Director Vance. Please hurry." She hung up and watched in disbelief as O'Leary and Cary moved swiftly through the various levels of the ship, in search for the undercover agents.

Agent Nassir knew when he heard he emergency alarm that trouble was on its way. He quickly moved to the stern of the ship, heading upwards using the ladder in a different corridor to his cabin. It was in a closed in area only used for emergencies and this was definitely an emergency. His life depended on him reaching the top and getting off this ship.

Abby waited with baited breath as she watched on as O'Leary and Cary headed towards Agent Nassir's cabin, which he shared with O'Leary. Relief spread across her face as she realised that Nassir had left his cabin amidst all the confusion over what had happened to Jack. She prayed that all the other agents had done the same.

Leon Vance entered Abby's lab with grief visible in his eyes. "Thank you, Miss Scuito for looking out for our people. Unfortunately, Agent Stevens couldn't be revived."

Tears welled up in Abby's green eyes, as she tried to rein in her emotions. "But I couldn't save him."

Leon stepped closer and made her look at him. "You tried to help him. We had warned him of the risks. He knew they were out there. We will get O'Leary and Cary and bring justice for Stevens. The emergency alarm would have given the other agents warning to escape. Bring up the camera feeds for the ladders from the cabin levels and upwards.

Abby moved around on her keyboards, striking commands and soon enough she could see Agent Nassir climbing upwards near the stern of the ship. "How far away is he from O'Leary and Cary?"

"Three floors and counting. They've gone in search for the other two remaining agents. With Wilson and Chambers out of there, there was only three undercover agents and Stevens left on board." She continued her search and found Agents Johns and Brown near the bow of the ship, doing the same as Nassir. "All three are almost to the deck."

"Close all exits of the ship once they've made it through to the deck. We cannot allow any of our suspects to escape. How far out is Gibbs and his team?"

"Two minutes out, Director." Abby pulled up security camera feeds of the port where the USS Arlington was docked. Next to the Arlington stood the USS Winston Churchill and the USS Stout.

"Can you break into the other two ship camera feeds too?" Abby nodded. She moved over to the laptop McGee had been working on and brought up the Churchill, and Stout on the one Tony had been using. She removed the thumb drive and handed it over to the Director. "Tony managed to copy data from the Formosa Cartel. I think that all the intel you need to bring these crooks down, is on here."

"Thank you, Miss Scuito. I should have asked you and Agent McGee four months ago, and could have saved a lot of man hours." Abby gave him a small smile before turning her attention back to the other two ships and the Arlington.

"There. Agent Nassir has made it on deck, Director." Abby moved to the front of the ship and noticed that the other two agents had also made it out onto deck. It was dark, but she knew it was them. "Locking all doors and hatches to the Arlington now."

"Thank you, Miss Scuito. How's the Winston Churchill and Stout doing?" Leon moved closer and watched NCIS Agents receive contact to leave their ship. Finally word had come through from their handlers to abort the mission. "They're leaving." He watched on as the five undercover and one assigned NCIS agent from both ships make their way up through the portal ladders onto deck. Each man looked at each other hesitant, until their handler nodded to them all and only then did they realise that they were all on the same side.

Abby and Vance breathed out a sigh of relief as their people left their assigned ships and communed with Gibbs as they arrived on the scene. Agents Nassir, Johns and Brown ran over and only then did Gibbs fill them in on what happened to Agent Jack Stevens. Nassir, Johns and Brown remained quiet, as they dealt with the news of a man who had been their only life line to the agency over the past four months. "We'll get you all back to the office, where you'll be debriefed. The DEA and NCIS agents will be here in a moment to search out every suspect on your lists to bring them in for arrest. We have all that we need. We have to wait another five days for USS Normandy and Gravely to arrive back in port. Word has been sent through to them about the situation." Gibbs informed them. Before he had completed his update to the agents involved with operation 'Formosa', trucks with armed NCIS and DEA agents arrived and swarmed the three ships. A bus arrived and transported the agents back to the office, ready for a debrief and a flight home.

_A/N: What a relief to get the agents out before more were killed, although it was tragic over the death of NCIS agent, Jack Stevens. Love to know your thoughts, please leave a review. _


	3. Chapter 3

Operation Formosa

By BH72

_Disclaimer: All events in this story are nonfiction and do not relate to anything that may happen on NCIS. The characters belong to Shane Brennan and CBS, I am thankful that I am able to borrow them until the next episode._

_A/N: Thanks for your support in reading this story and for the wonderful reviews._

**Chapter 3**

**_NCIS Office, The Navy Yard…_**

The debrief for Operation Formosa went longer than Leon had anticipated. But with the urgency of ending the operation short of making arrests once all contacts on the five ships and the ports at Norfolk and Cartegena, had brought along further implications. Leon prayed that all men involved in transporting the cocaine into the States, were on their list of suspects. He needed to prevent a repeat of what happened to Agent Smith and his daughter, twenty months earlier.

Finally after four hours of intense debriefing, which went on into the night, he was able to release his agents and allow them passage home. Many of these agents had been away for more than four months, with previous undercover operations that had taken them away from their families. They all deserved to head home and rest and spend precious time with their families. Some had young children, who would struggle to remember their dad, after the length of time they'd spent away. Agent Michael Nassir was one of those agents. Over the past year, he'd spent very few weeks at home, many of those visits were short and sporadic. He looked inside Agent Nassir's personal file and made a mental note to make sure he didn't travel away from home or go on any undercover operations in the next two years. He was a good man and his wife, Melissa, had been patient and understanding enough. She deserved to have her man home, to share their lives together with their two young children, five year old, Ella and one year old, Thomas. The boy wouldn't even recognise his daddy, which tore at the Director's conscience. He knew better than any, how precious family time was, especially after the loss of his beautiful wife, Jackie. Now, he was a single father, raising his two children with the help of his family.

Agent Nassir laid down on Gibbs' sofa and nodded off to sleep. It was three in the morning before he arrived at the older man's house, but he was desperate for some sleep. Gibbs always had an open door policy for any of his friends and he had in the past slept on the same sofa. He was desperate to fly home and see his family as he'd missed them so much over the past four months, being so far away from them. The last year had been tough of them all, since Thomas had been born. He'd even missed his first birthday. It had been hard, but he'd managed to get a Skype session with Melissa, thanks to Jack three weeks earlier, to see them on his son's birthday. It was a risk that he saw was worth it, just to see them. He and Jack had been careful and since nothing had happened after that day, he'd thought they were safe. Now he tossed and turned and worried if he had put his and Jack's lives at risk by that kind gesture.

"Mick." Michael opened his eyes and saw Gibbs' concern for him. "You're safe now." He squinted his eyes and realised it was daylight. He looked at his watch and saw it was eight in the morning. "Hungry?"

Mick nodded and followed Gibbs through to the dining table and sat down. Gibbs threw bacon and eggs on toast onto his plate and handed him a coffee. "Thanks, Gibbs. Just what I need. Something decent after four months at sea."

"How's Melissa handling your case loads?" He knew from Agent Bronte Smith, just how much he'd been away since she'd moved to L.A., six months ago. They hadn't crossed paths once in that time.

"It's been tough on her, Gibbs. Thomas turned one, three weeks ago. I'm a stranger to my own son." Gibbs saw the regret in his friend's eyes. "I only hope no more undercover stints occur for a long time. I'll lose her if this continues." He was glad to be heading home later that day.

"I'll talk to Vance to see if I can persuade him for you. He's a father himself, he'll understand." Gibbs took a good long sip of his coffee, savouring his favourite beverage.

Michael Nassir looked over appreciatively at his old friend. "Thanks, Gibbs. Anything that can help keep me home, I appreciate it."

The rest of the morning involved Nassir writing his report up from his four months stint at sea, while Gibbs and his team interrogated Ensign Roger Davies and Lieutenant Lewis Jackson, from USS Arlington.

By lunchtime, a woman with honey blonde hair exited the lift and walked towards the desks that belonged to Gibbs' team. Ellie Bishop looked up, surprised by the visitor. She had just bitten into her sandwich after a long morning.

Special Agent Bronte Smith looked down at the new face on the desk before her and smiled. "Hi, you must be Ellie Bishop. I'm Agent Bronte Smith, an old friend of Gibbs."

Ellie quickly wiped her hands before shaking with the new arrival. "Hi." She muffled between gulps of her food.

"Bronte?" Bronte's head turned and a her face lit up when she saw a familiar face.

"Mick, what are you doing here?" She walked over to the desk Gibbs had given him and hugged him. "It's been too long." She enjoyed the warmth and smile from her oldest and dearest friend, Michael Nassir.

"You two know each other?" Tony entered the squad room, surprised that Bronte knew their visitor. He'd only met Agent Nassir two days earlier onboard USS Arlington, under the guise of Petty Officer, Zachary Wallace. He'd worked out that Gibbs knew him but was surprised Bronte did too. As far as Tony knew, Bronte worked out of the New York office, up until six months ago.

Bronte turned and smiled. "Tony, it's good to see you again." She hugged him and stepped back.

Ellie looked on with curiosity. Her brain tried to make a connection to Agent Smith's name, when she furrowed her brow and looked up details of their current operation, Formosa. There written in detail, was the last time the agency had dealt with the Colombian cartel, in New York. Agent Greg Smith and his daughter were gunned down in front of his seven year old son, who miraculously was unharmed. She scanned the notes on how Agent Smith and his ten year old daughter died instantly from gunfire of a semi-automatic. She shook her head and exited the details on her computer screen.

"It's always a pleasure to see you again, Bronte." Tony charmed his way with her. "So how come you two know each other?" He pointed to Agent Nassir, as he asked her.

Bronte's face lit up and looked back over at Nassir. "We went through the Naval Academy together. Met on day one and became best friends." Mick smiled over to Bronte, he was pleased to see her so happy again after the grief she'd suffered over the past two and a half years. "We remained together on our first posting on USS Arlington, twenty years ago."

"USS Arlington?" Ellie inquired, surprised Agent Nassir was placed undercover on a ship he'd once worked on, as himself.

"Yes, why do you ask?" Both Tony and Ellie looked over at Nassir, waiting for him to answer.

"Because I've just spent four months undercover on the USS Arlington." Michael replied to her.

"You've what?" Bronte asked, shocked. "You should have refused, Mick, what if someone on the ship recognised you and your alias was burned?"

"Relax, Bron, no one is on there now from when we were assigned to Arlington." He noticed the worry in her eyes and he tried to appease her. The fact that he worked on Operation Formosa in itself, he knew would freak her out. After what had happened to Greg and Carrie, he felt he owed it to her to go deep undercover and help bring this cartel down.

"I still don't like it. When are you heading home? Melissa and your kids miss you so much. It's a good thing I'm living there now. Max and I visit as much as we want."

"And I am thankful for you for being there for them, Bron. I'm heading home in a few hours. Just finishing off my paperwork and then heading for the airport." He held his ticket in his hand, waving it to her with a broad smile on his face.

McGee hopped off the phone and looked over at Tony and Bishop. "Gibbs said that the suspects from the Formosa Cartel have all been taken to the DEA for questioning, so our agents won't be compromised."

"Did you just say Formosa?" McGee looked up and realised Bronte was there.

"Hi Bronte, good to see you again. What do you know about the cartel?"

Tony and Mick cringed and both shook their heads at McGee, trying to get him to stop talking to Bronte about it.

Bronte's eyes widened and stared intently at Mick. "Mick, what were you doing on Arlington?"

"Top secret, Bron, I'd have to kill you if I told you." He smirked, hoping to distract her, but he knew his attempts were fruitless. Bronte was not one to fool easily.

She stepped forward and glared at him. "Spill it, Mick." Her anger radiated from her and Tony quickly moved in to appease her.

"Mick can't talk about it with you, Bronte. You worry too much."

"With good reason," she turned and shook her head. Tears began to well up in her eyes and threatened to spill. "You know how much I've lost from this cartel." She spun around and pointed her finger into Mick's chest. "You of all people know my thoughts about them."

"I went for you, Bron." Mick tried to appease her. "I needed to do something, to help put them away and finish them for good. Before they took someone else we care about away from us."

Bronte shook her head and wrapped her arms around her body. "No, Mick. Don't you ever tell me you went for me. If I mattered to you, you would have stayed clear of them. They are bad news. You make sure no one follows you home. I can't lose anyone else I care about."

Mick pulled her in for a hug, holding her until she calmed down. Gibbs entered the squad room and realised Bronte was there. When he saw the state she was in, he concluded that she had found out about the undercover operation that he'd worked on.

"Bronte?" She turned and moved to hug him. "Don't blame Mick. He only did what any of us would have done if given the chance."

She fisted her hand into his chest. "No, don't ever tell me that. You know I wouldn't allow it." She turned to Mick. "That's why you went without saying a word to me. Four months you've been away, but I've been in L.A. for six. You avoided me knowing I would disapprove."

Mick sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "I give up. Guilty as charged."

"Why are you here, Bron?" Gibbs tried to change the subject, knowing how hard it was on her.

"Vance wanted to see me." She furrowed her brow at him. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm just surprised to see you here, that's all." He knitted his brow, curious to Vance's reason for bringing her over to D.C. "But I am glad, it's been five months since I've seen you and I've missed you. How's it working out for you in the L.A. office? Is Callen behaving himself?"

A smile appeared on her face at the mention of Callen and Mick noticed it. "What's been going on since I've been away, Bron?"

Gibbs laughed. "Don't look at me."

Bronte blushed and glared at Gibbs. "Thanks, Gibbs."

Tony was amused watching the three of them. "Do tell, Bron."

Bronte took in a deep breath and knew that she was not going to escape this one. "Callen and I, well let's just say, things happened between us."

Gibbs chuckled. "More than just happened, Bron. More like fell, both of you. Pretty hard too."

Mick raised a brow, surprised, but he shouldn't have been. Bronte was beautiful and he knew that any guy would be happy to have her in his life. He smiled and was happy to see her smile again. "I'm happy for you, Bron. You deserve to be happy again. Greg would have approved. Callen's one of the good guys." He stepped forward and hugged her.

"Thanks, Mick."

"So how's Hetty going?" He knew how worried Bronte had been over her mother six months ago, Melissa had filled him in about Hetty's cancer.

"She is amazing. She's right into her yoga and meditation, only eating vegan and organic. And drinking dandelion tea. She's doing well, although she's not returned to her post full time yet."

"What will you do once she does?" Mick was curious to know her plans, now that he knew about her and Callen. It was going to be interesting to see them together.

"I'm not sure if she will come back full time. She keeps pushing me to stay where I am as full time Operations Manager. I think she's trying to baby me too much, keeping me out of the field. She had a fit when Callen and I had to take down three gunmen at the beach which she saw happen on the news. I got a graze and she rang Callen in a fit of worry. Not what she needed after her op."

"What? You got shot?" Mick studied her more closely. "Where?"

"Just on my arm. You can hardly tell now."

Mick shook his head. "No wonder Hetty's keeping you house bound. I would too in her position."

"I can take care of myself and you know that, Mick. She does too."

"So you're okay working out there with Hetty?" Tony asked her. He had heard a great deal about her over the years and was glad they had the width of the country between them.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of Hetty, Tony?" Bronte's eyes sparkled, slightly amused.

"I've heard rumours, how she's made grown men quake in her presence."

Bronte laughed and Ellie Bishop was intrigued over their visitor. The team knew who she was and it appeared that Gibbs and agent Nassir knew her particularly well.

Bronte turned to Gibbs. "Hetty doesn't scare you, does she Gibbs?"

Gibbs chuckled and shook his head. "Never."

"Mick?" Bronte winked over to Michael, and he could see that she was enjoying it.

"Nope. She's a big softy." Mick told Tony, who looked skeptical at them.

"You know something and are hiding it from the rest of us. What is it?" Tony's agent skills were on overdrive, trying to work it out.

"Have you ever met Hetty, Tony?" He shook his head. "You should come to L.A. sometime and meet her. I'm sure she'll fall in love with your charm instantly. She was good friends with Fred Astaire back in the day. You're well attuned knowledge to the old classics will impress her." She smiled again over to him. "I could see Kensi might be taken with you. You'll give Deeks a run for his money."

"Deeks?" Tony and McGee asked, not knowing who Deeks was.

"Our LAPD liaison officer and Kensi's partner. He's like a lost puppy in love with her. It's rather sweet."

"Not with Hetty there." Tony admitted.

"She's hardly there at the moment, just overseeing things on a part time basis. I'm pretty much running things over there these days." When she saw the look of doubt in his eyes, she raised her right brow. "You don't want to come and see us?"

"You, yes, but not her."

Bronte laughed. "Well if you change your mind, you'll know where to find us."

"I'm still missing something here. What is it that you're not telling me? And why is it that you're not afraid of her?" That was what had Tony curious most of all. He'd heard that she ran a tight ship out west.

"I've never been afraid of Hetty, Tony. She's like Mick said. A big softy."

"Are we talking about the same person here?" Bronte nodded her head.

"How long have you known her?" Tony narrowed his eyes, thinking she was pulling his leg and all the rumours were true.

"All of my life." Bronte jumped when Abby's arms came around her and wrapped her into a big hug. "Hi Abs." She breathed out.

"Bronte. You never told me you were coming."

"Last minute call from Vance. How are you Abs?"

"I'm good. You?"

"Great."

"Abby, maybe you can help me." Tony stepped forward. "Is all that I've heard about Hetty true?"

Abby looked between Tony and Bronte puzzled. "What is it that you've heard?" She raised her brow at Bronte, who chuckled.

"That she'll make grown men quake in their boots." Tony told her.

"Yes, that's true. But only if you deserve it. Otherwise, she's a big softy, like Bronte here."

"What do you mean like Bronte?" Tony looked at them confused. McGee and Bishop looked between them and felt like they were missing the piece to the puzzle like Tony was.

"Oh, I've put my foot in it, haven't I?" Abby looked to Bronte and whispered, "I'm sorry."

"Abby?" Tony almost growled as frustration took over.

"Hetty's my mother, Tony." Bronte finally admitted.

Tony and McGee's eyes almost popped out of their heads. "What? Now you're definitely pulling our legs."

"No, it's true." Gibbs added. "But Bronte's more like her Père."

"Your father's French?"

"Oui."

"Wow. No wonder you think Hetty's a big softy."

"It's because it's true." She looked up and saw Vance looking over the mezzanine watching her. "I've got to go, Vance is waiting for me." She turned to Mick. "Take extra care heading home. No buts."

"I will, Bron. See you in a few days." He hugged her again and watched her rise the stairs up to their director's office.

"Bronte, good to see you again, please come on in." Bronte shook the director's hand and sat.

"You wanted to see me?" Vance nodded.

"I do. Sorry to drag you away from Max, but I thought this would be best done in person."

Bronte furrowed her brow, as worry began to form in the pit of her stomach.

"I wanted to tell you that we've been working closely with the DEA to bring the Formosa Cartel down for good. That you and Max can soon relax and not worry about them lurking about." He watched her facial expressions change as memories came flooding back. "How are you doing these days, in Los Angeles?"

"Thank you, Director. I appreciate all that you've done to bring this family down. But why did you have Mick involved?" She saw his look of surprise that she knew about Mick's involvement. "McGee let it slip about the cartel, not realising the history."

"I approached Mick, knowing about your friendship. He offered to come on board for the operation. It was a huge give on his part, but he wanted to, for you. You still mean a great deal to him, Bronte."

"He told me why he went, but you know what I've already lost, Director. I'm surprised you allowed it. Mick was too close to this case, yet you allowed it."

"He insisted, Bronte." Leon sat back in his chair and sighed. "He's out of it now and heading home in a few hours. I wanted to go over a few things with regards to the case, and to talk to you about your work in Los Angeles."

Bronte nodded. She still wasn't happy, but she was thankful that Mick was heading home. "Gibbs told you about Mick?"

Leon nodded. "Don't worry, no one else knows."

"Thanks, I appreciate it, Director. It was a difficult time for us back then."

"I understand, Bronte. You've been through a great deal. Now let's talk about OSP."

_A/N: Fun times in the D.C. office. DiNozzo is heading west sometime this season, so it will be interesting to see how he goes with Hetty in charge at OSP. Will he be cheeky like Danno from Five-0? Or will she see him as the suave man in a suit and approve of his knowledge of the great classics? Love to know your thoughts on this chapter, please leave a review._


	4. Chapter 4

Operation Formosa

By BH72

_Disclaimer: All events in this story are nonfiction and do not relate to anything that may happen on NCIS. The characters belong to Shane Brennan and CBS, I am thankful that I am able to borrow them until the next episode._

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Now for trouble to appear out west and the LA team to take over._

**Chapter 4**

**_Office of Special Projects, Los Angeles…_**

Callen found himself in a position he disliked the most, sparring with Granger. He never really liked the older man and trusted him very little, although Hetty tried to get him to trust him more. But to be honest, it was embarrassing. He could handle wrestling with Sam as they were partners and brothers, but with Granger? He set his jaw tight as he narrowed his eyes over at his partner, who was chuckling over his predicament. As team leader, he was forced to play with the Assistant Director. "Laugh all you like, Sam, you're next."

Sam shook his head. "Nope. Just you, G." Deeks and Kensi entered and watched on amused. They hung around as Callen threw Granger over his shoulder. There was no way he was going to go soft on the older man.

As Granger stood up, Eric ran in. "We have a problem." They quickly followed Eric up into Ops and saw images from a house in Santa Monica.

"Whose house are we looking at?" Callen asked Eric.

Bronte entered the mission rubbing her temples as a headache brewed under the surface. The five hour flight didn't help her already stressed levels after her meeting with Director Vance. She looked into the bullpen and noticed it's deserted state as she walked to her office. She had to get used to saying that now. To her it had always been her mother's office, but now it was hers. _Why hadn't her mother told her in person that she was resigning and that she had put her name forward for the position?_ Instead, her mother had left it up to Director Vance to talk to her, make her sit some tests and meet with an unknown psychologist to see if she was ready to lead the team at OSP. After dropping her bag, she climbed the stairs and entered through the sliding doors and halted. The team were being briefed on a new case and when she saw the familiar house up on the screen, her jaw dropped.

Callen turned when he heard the sliding doors opened and was surprised to see that Bronte had returned from her trip to D.C. already.

"Agent Michael Nassir." Eric replied.

"What happened?" Bronte took in a ragged breath, trying to keep her emotions reined in. After all that they had been through, this is what she had dreaded the most. That was why she was angry at him for going undercover to bring the Formosa Cartel down.

"Bron?" Callen recognised that she was struggling. She merely shook her head and kept her focus on the screen.

"LAPD received a call at six this morning about a kidnapping. Neighbours heard a woman screaming and saw both Agent Nassir and his wife being dragged out of their house, fighting their abductors. Neither Michael or his wife, Melissa, have been found." Nell added.

"I had no idea he was married." Deeks breathed out, this case hitting close to home the risk they all lived with every day.

"What about their children? Ella is five and Thomas has just turned one." Callen furrowed his brow, surprised that she knew so much about the agent. As far as he was concerned, the two had never met.

"LAPD found the boy crying in his cot. No signs of a girl." Nell responded.

"She must be scared and hiding somewhere." She looked at Nell. "He's just come off Operation Formosa. Call Vance and ask for access to the operation."

"Formosa Cartel?" Callen asked her, realising what this meant to her.

Bronte nodded. "The same one. Vance had agents from around the country onboard five ships out of Norfolk, to find out who were on the cartel's payroll. He's just briefed me on the operation. I just saw Mick in D.C. They'd been deep undercover for four months, Agent Jack Stevens was stabbed to death, which resulted in the operation being brought to a halt early. But Vance was certain that they were close to having proof of everyone involved bringing the drugs into the country." Bronte ran from Ops down the stairs.

"Bronte." Callen caught up to her outside. "Where are you going?"

"I've got to go. I've got to find Ella." Her body shook and Callen rubbed his hands up and down her arms.

"I'll drive." He took her keys from her and started the engine. He sent a quick text to Sam to tell him what was happening.

Bronte pulled her cell out and called Greg's parents. "Andrea. You need to get Max from school and bring him to the boat shed. The Formosa Cartel have men in L.A."

Andrea Smith looked worriedly over to her husband, of forty-eight years. "We'll collect Max straight away, Bronte. Please don't worry. I'm sure he'll be safe." She disconnected the call and told her husband the news. They left their drinks they had just ordered from a cafe and headed towards the deaf school where Max had settled in two months ago.

When Callen pulled up to the curb a few houses down from the Nassir home, Bronte dashed out of the car and ran for the house. She showed her I.D. to the police officer and continued inside the white two storey house. She knew this house well and ran up the stairs, Callen barely keeping up with her. He found her inside a bedroom with a pink bedspread all neatly laid over the bed. He scanned the room and found Bronte kneeling in front of the opened closet, hugging a dark haired girl with the largest brown eyes, Callen had ever seen. _She's beautiful,_ he thought.

The girl firmly held on tight to Bronte, her hands around her neck and cried in her arms. Tears fell down Bronte's face as she tried to calm the girl down. "It's okay, El, Bel. Bronnie's here now. Sssh!" She rocked the girl on her lap as she soothed her.

Sam, Deeks and Kensi arrived on scene and found them upstairs. Sam furrowed his brow over to his partner. "She know the Nassirs?"

Callen shrugged. "She never mentioned them to me." He felt hurt that she had kept her friendship with Agent Nassir a secret from him. He thought over the past six months that they had been open and honest with each other. And now he was standing inside one of their own agent's homes, feeling like there was another layer to the woman he loved, he'd yet to discover.

"What do you want us to do?" Deeks kept his voice low, not to startle the girl.

"Go through the bedroom, see if you can find something that might help us find out if it is the Formosa Cartel or someone else." Deeks and Kensi nodded as they left for the master bedroom.

"G?" Sam looked to him with a questioning look.

"We'll start outside and see what we can find out." He needed some air and was pleased to be outside, talking with witnesses over what they had seen and heard that morning.

"Tommy." Ella lifted her head and suddenly realised about her brother.

"It's okay, Ella. Tommy's okay. He's eating breakfast downstairs. Are you hungry?" The girl nodded.

Bronte picked her up and carried her down the stairs and headed for the kitchen. It felt weird to her to be there without at least Melissa being there. The children looked around in hope to see their mother. They'd become accustomed to their father's absence, too well. "Tommy." She put Ella down on the bar stool and lifted the little boy up and cuddled him.

"Bronnie." Thomas hugged her tight and sucked his thumb. Seeing a familiar face had soothed him and he began to drift off to sleep in her arms.

Deeks exited the house in search for Callen. "I think you need to see this."

Callen and Sam followed the detective up the stairs into the bedroom. Kensi sat at a desk looking at photos that they had found inside a large box. She lifted one of the photos up and handed it to Callen. "We found these on the top shelf in the closet."

Callen studied the photo, his brow furrowed. He looked up at his team and shook his head. "She never said anything to me about any of this." Kensi handed him some more and he began to put the pieces of the puzzle together. "I need to speak with her." He left his team in a state of shock and struggled to speak when he saw her rocking the boy in her arms.

"The social worker can take the boy. I need you to come with me."

Bronte shook her head. "No. No social worker, G. They will stay with us until we find Mick and Mel."

"Whose going to look after them while we work to find them, Bron? You can't get personally involved in every case we work."

"I am personally involved, G. I'm their guardian if anything happens to their parents. They are staying with us." It was the first time she had admitted her personal involvement with the Nassirs to him.

"How did you know Mick?" After the photos he'd seen upstairs, he needed to know.

"We went through the Naval Academy together. Became best friends and were assigned to the USS Arlington together." Bronte snuggled her face onto the boy's, kissing him softly on his cheek.

"I need you upstairs. Can you leave the children with the social worker, just for a few minutes?" He needed to speak with her away from the kids.

She relented and handed Thomas over to the lady who'd been called in to look after him as soon as he'd been found crying in his cot by LAPD. She followed Callen up the stairs and halted when she saw the box opened and the photos of her, Mick and Joshua on the desk. "You had no right to go through that box." Her voice quavered and her body shook.

"Whose the boy?" Callen gently prodded.

Bronte shook her head and looked out the window. Seeing the photos brought back all the pain that she had locked away a long time ago. She choked on a sob, when she felt Callen's arms come around her and drew her in. Sam, Deeks and Kensi left them be, giving them the space they knew Bronte needed. They saw how vulnerable she was and how close she was to this case. She took in a deep breath and calmed herself down before pulling away from Callen. "It hurts so much in here." She fisted her hand and hit her chest with it.

She remained in her thoughts for a few moments until she had the strength to talk to him. "He was so beautiful and such a good little boy." She looked up at Callen as her tears began to spill again. She quickly wiped them away and wrapped her arms around herself. "His name was Joshua. He was our son. We never meant to have him, it just happened. Best friends who'd turned to each other after a tough case. We'd moved across to NCIS by then, based out of the San Francisco office. When I found out I was pregnant with Josh, Mick moved in and we became a family. Josh was the happiest baby and he brought so much love into our lives. We were on cloud nine. Nothing could dampen our lives." She furrowed her brow and picked up the photo of him, just before he got sick. "Then he fell sick. He couldn't keep his food down and he lost so much weight. We took him to numerous doctors, but they all told us the same thing. He had leukaemia and was dying. There was nothing that they could do for him."

She crumbled into Callen's arms, when he realised why she had never told him. He saw her grief and understood her pain. She'd been through so much pain in losing loved ones, it was hard enough for her to talk about Lauren, Greg and Carrie. Because she had lost them more recently, her pain from losing them was more accessible. But Callen could see that this pain had been locked away for a real long time. "He was only eighteen months old when he died. Still a baby." He continued to rub his hands up and down her back and arms to soothe her. "Neither of us could get passed it. I asked for a transfer. I needed to get away from all the memories of him. It hurt so much."

She didn't need to tell him the rest. He concluded that was how she ended up in New York and met Greg. "We'll find them, Bron. But we need your help to find them. You know this cartel and Mick and Melissa better than any of us." She looked up into his cerulean orbs and nodded. He had his agent hat on and was focused and she realised that she needed to be as well. She nodded her head and wiped her tears away. "Good. Let's get back to the boat shed, Ron and Andrea are there with Max now. We can take Ella and Thomas. I'm sure Hetty would love to spend some time with them."

"She dotes on them whenever she visits. She'll love the distraction."

_A/N: Did any of you see this coming? A part of Bronte's past coming back to haunt her. Not only the cartel who killed her husband and daughter, but also the pain of a child she'd lost, whom she'd had with Mick. Love to hear from you, please leave a review._


	5. Chapter 5

Operation Formosa

By BH72

_Disclaimer: All events in this story are nonfiction and do not relate to anything that may happen on NCIS. The characters belong to Shane Brennan and CBS, I am thankful that I am able to borrow them until the next episode._

**Chapter 5**

**_The Boat Shed…_**

Bronte carried Thomas into the boat shed, with Ella clinging to her side, afraid to let her go. When Ella saw Max inside, she ran over to him and hugged him.

Max looked up with a worried look in his eyes to his mother. "Mom, what's going on?" He signed over to her. "Where's Mel?"

Ella pulled on his arm and signed to him. "Daddy came home last night. Bad men took him and Mommy away."

Callen looked over to Bronte and both of them realised that Ella saw what had happened. Bronte knelt down beside Ella. "El Bel. What did you see?"

"Dark men with guns. They hit Daddy on the head with one. He went to sleep. Mommy screamed and fight them." She was only five, but she was doing great telling them what she saw. "Too scared to find Tommy. I hid in my cupboard."

"You did the right thing, sweetheart." She hugged the girl and signed to Max. "Why don't you and Ella do some drawings over at the table."

Max nodded and led Ella over. The distraction was what both children needed, as she could see the fear in Max's eyes that something bad had happened. Thomas continued to sleep in her arms and she was glad that they had a couple of days supply in a bag with them of formula, baby food and nappies. It's had been a while since she'd taken care of a baby, but she was familiar with Thomas' routine. She knew the look that Callen gave her, of why she hadn't mentioned her friendship with the Nassirs, let alone her past with Mick. "I need to ring their parents to tell them what's happened." She looked at her watch. "It'll be dinner time in London now." She noticed the confusion in Callen's eyes. "Mick's parents live in London. I need to call them." Callen nodded and allowed her to make the calls. She rang Beth and Peter's number and waited for someone to pick up.

"Hello?" Beth's English accent had returned after their move back to London. Mick had been born and raised in Washington D.C., although his parents were English. They returned to their home country after his father retired from his CEO position for a large international corporation. Although Mick had grown up with a great deal of money, his love to protect his country was strong, which led him on his path into the Navy and then later over to NCIS. It explained his beautiful home that he shared with his family.

"Beth, it's Bronte." Bronte's voice quavered and the older woman instantly knew something was wrong.

"What's wrong, Bron?" Her heart pounded heavily in her chest as she waited to hear what Bronte had to tell her. She knew Mick and Mel's wills had Bronte as the guardian for their young children. It mad sense to them, with their past and their close friendship even today.

"Ella and Thomas are fine." Bronte managed to get the concerns out for Beth's grandchildren out of the way first before she continued. "Mick and Mel have been abducted early hours this morning. We're doing all that we can to find them, Beth."

"We're coming on the next flight out, Bron. Give those grandchildren of ours loads of hugs." Peter moved closer to his wife, when he picked up on the change in her demeanour. It meant only one thing, something had happened to their son. She disconnected the call and quickly wiped her tears as she looked over at her husband. "We've got to get to Los Angeles quickly, Pete. Michael and Melissa have been abducted this morning. Ella and Thomas are okay. Bronte's got them."

"I'll make the arrangements, Beth. You go and pack." He held her tight for a moment longer, before he dialled British Airways.

**_Ops Centre…_**

Owen Granger paced the floor, waiting for the information to come through from Director Vance. Nell looked up when the file on Operation Formosa arrived into her inbox. She pulled it up and threw documents up onto the large screen for them to read. All three of them scanned the documents over the operation, particularly, the report that Agent Nassir had written up the day before. "He's thorough in his report," Nell commented. She realised now, the importance of the agents completing their paperwork as soon as a case was over. Their intel was no good inside their head if something happened to them. She understood why Hetty was always on her agents' back about their paperwork. On the occasions that she had been out into the field, she had a taste for writing up her side of the case. But she also could see how mundane it could become doing them continuously, case after case.

Nell selected the images of the suspects that Agent Nassir was involved in following, onboard the USS Arlington. "Ensign Roger Davies and Lieutenant Lewis Jackson were his suspects and were arrested just over a day ago." She quickly scanned his report about Agent Jack Stevens' death and what he'd done for him to Skype with his family on his son's first birthday and who Abby had witnessed killing Agent Stevens. "These two petty officers are trouble. Petty Officer Shaun O'Leary and Petty Officer, Glendon Cary. Gibbs' report on when they interrogated them with regards to another petty officer's death, showed them to be arrogant and knew something that Gibbs and his team have yet to find out. But he suspects it was that the identities of the agents on board had been compromised. They discovered that fellow NCIS agents, NCIS Agent Bradley Wilson and NCIS Agent Harry Chambers were involved in Petty Officer Cromwell's death. Chambers killed him to protect Wilson, when he heard a scuffle outside his quarters. Wilson was following O'Leary and Cary at the time, when Cromwell attacked him."

"Does this mean that all NCIS agents on board USS Arlington had been burned?" Owen inquired, still trying to catch up on the highly classified operation that Vance had seen to himself.

"Yes. After Agent Stevens left Agent Nassir's quarters, he was followed and stabbed by O'Leary and Cary. They then went straight to Nassir's quarters, but found him gone. Abby had witnessed the stabbing from tapping into the security system and set the alarm off, giving the other agents time to escape. They made it out in time and all access to the Arlington had been locked behind them until they were back safe at the Navy Yard. NCIS and DEA went in to arrest their suspects on all three of the five ships that were in port at the time."

"Do we know if any of the other agents have been abducted?" Granger prodded her with questions and wasn't surprised with her fast reply. Their intelligence analyst was fast and thorough.

"No. They're all safe. Vance had Gibbs' team contact them all to make sure. Gibbs is on his way over here with Agent DiNozzo to help find the Nassirs. Apparently Agent Gibbs has been friends with Mick for a long time."

"Like Bronte has." Sam Hanna entered the Ops Centre and scanned the data on screen.

"Bronte knows the Nassirs?" Owen furrowed his brow.

"She and Mick went through the Naval Academy together and became best friends." Sam knitted his brows together. "Was Agent Nassir assigned undercover on USS Arlington?"

Eric nodded. "Yes he was alongside a few others. Their handler was the onboard NCIS Agent, Jack Stevens. He was stabbed by these two men. Petty Officers, O'Leary and Cary."

Sam shook his head and looked sternly at Granger. "He shouldn't have been there. He was assigned to the Arlington when he graduated from the academy. Do you know why he was there?"

Owen shook his head. "No. Vance has kept this operation close to his chest."

"Not only was the risk of his real identity being burned high, he was too close to this case. He should never have been on the operation in the first place.

"What do you mean, Agent Hanna?" Owen could see the agent was holding something back.

Sam sighed. "G didn't even know until Kensi and Deeks found a box of photos. Bronte and Mick have a past. They had a kid together, but he died at eighteen months. He had leukaemia. Was the happiest and cutest kid you ever saw." Sam shook his head. "Bronte said she was furious with him when she found out what he'd been working on. She told him he was too close to it and it was too dangerous. Now we know why she was angry with him. She was worried and had a damn good reason for it. But we also understand he volunteered for her, after what the Formosa Cartel did to Greg and Carrie."

"And now his and his wife's lives are at risk because he went undercover for Bronte. But how come none of the other agents have been abducted?" Nell's synapses quickly passed information through her brain to analyse and sort out the mess.

"Bronte." Sam looked to Nell. "Bring up Bronte's file." Nell nodded and quickly brought it up onto the screen.

"Here it is." Nell pointed to the details. "Bronte was assigned on the USS Arlington with Mick. If someone recognised Mick, they would have linked him to her. The Cartel are after her and her son. Didn't Max witness the attack on his dad and sister?"

"Yes. But why allow him to live back then, only to go searching for him twenty months later?" Sam pulled out his cell and dialled Callen. "G. You need to take Bronte and Max to a safe house. The cartel are after them. No other agents onboard the Arlington or any of the other ships have been abducted. Someone recognised Nassir and burned his true identity. If they recognised him, they would have linked him to Bronte and her son."

**_The Boat Shed…_**

Callen furrowed his brows, looking intently over at Bronte. She sat on the sofa, cuddling a sleeping Thomas, who had settled with her from the moment he saw her. Max and Ella continued to have their silent conversation signing as they drew. The pictures Ella had drawn, were of the men who had taken her parents. For a five year old, she drew a lot of detail. When he looked at Max's drawings, his eyes widened. They were of the shooting from twenty months earlier. The morning events had triggered that horrid day for the boy and he alongside Ella, drew what feared them the most.

"I'll arrange to transfer them to a safe house along with Greg's parents. Mick's parents are on their way over from London. Not sure about Melissa's. I don't think Bronte's been able to get hold of them yet." Callen licked his lips, feeling his whole family life was falling apart from the danger that threatened them. "Sam, you need to call Nate. We need his analysis on Max and Ella's drawings. We might be able to pull something from them to find out who is after them and have taken the Nassirs."

"Will do, G."

Callen looked inside his phone for the nearest available safe house. He tried to analyse the situation from an agent's point of view, not a personal one. Why had they targeted Mick, when it was Bronte that they were after? She was just in D.C. She would have been an easy target on route home to L. A. Was it because Mick was the easier target? They had him in their sights, so they could easily follow him? But why take him and Melissa and not wait until he led them to her?

He quickly dialled his cell. "Nell, can you send me a photo of Melissa for me please?"

"Sure thing, Callen." Nell pulled up a photo and pressed send. After she had done it she narrowed her eyes and took a closer look at the image.

Callen looked at the image as it came through and looked up over at Bronte. He looked between the two and shook his head. He walked across the room and sat down beside her. He showed the image of Melissa to Bronte.

"That's Melissa. What's going on, G?" Bronte looked into his eyes and saw fear in them.

"Don't you see that she's a lot like you?" Bronte took another look at the photo and shrugged.

"I suppose. I mean, we have the same colour hair and eyes. But that's about it. Why?"

"We believe that Mick and Melissa were taken because of you."

"Me? Why?" She shook her head. "No. They have no idea about me. It was Greg that they were after. I wasn't at the park." She paused and looked over at her son. "Max." She looked back at Callen and fear for her son grew within her. "But they spared him. Why come after him now?"

"We need to take the four of you to a safe house, Bron. It's not safe for any of you." Callen pulled her in for a hug, wrapping his arms around her and Thomas.

_A/N: Why are the Formosa Cartel after Bronte and her son? Love to know your thoughts, please leave a review._


	6. Chapter 6

Operation Formosa

By BH72

_Disclaimer: All events in this story are nonfiction and do not relate to anything that may happen on NCIS. The characters belong to Shane Brennan and CBS, I am thankful that I am able to borrow them until the next episode._

_A/N: Thanks for your continued support. A bit of a break from the crazy stuff. Family fun time ahead. Enjoy!_

**Chapter 6**

Callen settled Bronte and the children into the safe house, not too far from the mission. It was a Californian style house, painted blue with white trimmings and a gorgeous front verandah with a view over a secluded garden. Hetty had chosen well on this particular property. No eyes from the road could see into the front garden and the agents and parties who they were protecting could at least sit out on the verandah and relax. The rear garden had a gate through to an alley way for a quick get away, if the need arose, with security cameras fitted for extra security. The garden had been tended to recently. It was neat and weeded, ready for the coming winter. A large tree sat in the middle of the garden and had turned a golden colour, it's leaves had begun to drop and scatter on the lawn underneath it. The property had a tranquil feel about the place and he hoped it soothed Bronte and the children. There was a swing out back, tied under a large oak, its leaves had also changed to an amber colour. As he looked around the house for a bed for Thomas, he was pleased to see that Hetty had well equipped the house with a portacot and high chair, which had been folded away in a closet. He pulled them out and set them up in the smallest bedroom. He also found some soft toys in a box, high up in the cupboard and brought them out for Thomas to play with. He had no idea what a one year old needed and was thankful that Bronte did.

He found Bronte on the swinging chair, at the far end of the front verandah. Thomas sat on her lap and she had Max and Ella sitting either side of her, eager for her to rock the seat even further. The smiles on their faces made him realise just how resilient children could be, but he also knew how too much bad stuff destroyed a child's emotional well being. For now, Max and Ella appeared to be enjoying themselves, that in itself was a relief. He was more concerned over how clingy Thomas was of Bronte, who showed no sign of placing him on the mat, which he'd laid out in front of her. He stepped forward. "Would Thomas like to play on the mat?"

The boy buried his head into Bronte's chest, but Callen had a trick up his sleeve. Well in this case, behind his back. He pulled out a soft honey coloured bear, that had caught his attention in the box he'd found. It had a blue ribbon tied around his neck and looked perfect for a one year old boy. He pulled it out from behind him and brought him closer to Tommy. He'd had fun playing this game with Sam's daughter, Kamran many times over the years and it always ended up with her in giggles. "Hello, Tommy. My name is Bluey. I love lots of cuddle and I love to be squished and taken on lots of adventures." Callen put on a funny voice, like he'd done in the past with Kamran and no sooner had he begun, Tommy had turned and pulled his hands out to grab Bluey. The boy squished him tight into his arms and giggled at Callen's funny voice. He slid down from Bronte's lap and started talking to the bear, as his tiny feet carried him in a wobbly way towards the mat. He sat down with the teddy and interacted with the bear and the other toys on the mat. There was a fire truck, airplane and lots of small cars for him to play with. It was really sweet when Callen knelt down and brought a train onto the mat. The boy's eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw him.

"Thomas." The blue train with a smiley face went chugga, chugga, choo choo along the mat as the boy played with his favourite train, the one that shared his name.

Bronte looked over at Callen with tears in her eyes. "Well I never thought I would ever see the day when I saw you playing with a one year old." She'd watched him build a relationship with his son, Michael, and her son, Max, over the past five months with pride. She tried hard and she could see the time he'd spent with Sam's daughter had paid off. But she never expected to see this side of him, interacting with a one year old boy whom he'd never met before. It took her breath away and she found herself pondering, _what if we had a child?_ She shook the thought from her head, there was no way it would happen. Not now. She wasn't sure if she could go through bringing another child into the world and have them torn from her. She'd lost two already and the one she had, was still in danger.

"Oh, there's a lot you haven't seen yet." He stood up and started walking towards them with his hands out front, wiggling his fingers. "I am a zombie. A tickling zombie." He spoke like a robot and caught Ella and Max's attention. Ella screamed in delight as she and Max slid off the seat and ran to the other end of the verandah. They ran down the steps and into the front garden as Callen turned and headed in their direction. Bronte sat there, laughing and loved the distraction from what the day had brought them. She wished Michael was there right now with them and could see this side of his father. But she needn't have wished, as Sam pulled up with Michael right at that moment and caught Callen in the act. "I'm glad you're here," she told Sam and Michael. "He's been great with Tommy and the other two. I've never seen him like this."

Sam chuckled. "You'll be surprised. He's had many years practising with Kamran." He turned to Michael. "You want to tackle your Dad?"

Michael looked over at Sam and a familiar smirk graced his lips. "Oh yeah." Michael ran over to where the others were trying to escape the tickling Zombie and he attacked his father, by jumping on his back. "Mighty Mike is here to save you." Callen held onto his son and swung him around as he tried to free himself of the superhero that had come to rescue Ella and Max. Ella squealed with delight and Max laughed in his own way, as they watched Michael wrestle with his dad. Eventually, Callen had freed himself of his son and had him lying on the soft grass and tickled him. Michael wriggled and laughed as Max and Ella came to his rescue and tickled Callen.

"Aaah. I'm being attacked on all sides." Callen laughed as he was tickled and found himself wriggling out of their reach as much as Michael was from him. Eventually he escaped them and found himself out of breath. He ran over to Bronte and Sam, who stood on the verandah. "Wow, I never realised how exhausting being a father was."

Sam laid his hand on his shoulder. "Welcome to parenthood." Although Callen had five months of being a father to Michael and a substitute father to Max, this was the first time Callen blossomed in the role. Perhaps it was the house and gardens that had the effect on Callen, or the need to make the Nassir children feel more at ease in the unfamiliar surroundings, without their parents. But whatever it was, it was a great distraction for what was going on around them.

Callen's smile broadened and he headed off, chasing the three children again, enjoying the moment.

Hetty noticed a text on her cell and furrowed her brow as she read it. _Why is Bronte asking me to meet me at this safe house?_ She grabbed her keys and started her jag, heading for their location. As she pulled up, she was sure that she could hear kids laughing and Callen's voice, but it was in a funny tone. A smile appeared on her face as she entered the enclosed front garden and found her daughter and Sam laughing at the shenanigans of Callen's with three children. She narrowed her eyes confused as to why Ella was with Max and Michael. Then she saw Thomas, but no sign of Melissa and looked towards her daughter with a questioning look. "Well this is a surprise, my dear. I never expected to find kids squealing at this location."

Bronte leaned over and hugged her mother. "Hi, Mom. Callen's been great, keeping the kids distracted. Whoever thought that he was the class clown? Now Deeks I could understand, but G?" She laughed again as the kids started shoving leaves down Callen's shirt. He grabbed some too and started to do the same to them. It was an all out leaf fight, and the kids were having a blast. Callen too, from the look on his face. His eyes sparkled and Bronte was determined to see more of this side of Callen in the future.

Hetty turned around and watched on, amused. But the reason for them being at the safe house caused Hetty concern. She heard Thomas babbling behind them and she went to see what he was doing. She smiled when she saw him playing with the teddy bear, one which she had recognised from the collection that she had stored in a box. He was telling the bear that they were going to see Thomas the Tank Engine. "Hello, Thomas."

Thomas' face brightened when he saw her. "Hetty!" He lifted his hands up into the air for her to pick him up.

"Wow, look at you, young man. You're growing bigger everyday." He held onto Bluey as she lifted him up and he showed her the bear.

"Bluey." He told her.

"That's a good name for him. It goes with his ribbon." The boy pointed to Callen and she understood that he was telling her that he had given him the bear. "Did Callen give you the bear, Thomas?" He nodded and cuddled it in his arms. "Where's your Mommy?" The boy shook his head and buried himself in her shoulder.

Bronte watched on sadly, when she heard her mother ask him about Melissa. The guilt that she felt about what had happened to her and Mike returned in an instant. "Mom." She stepped forward. "Sam will fill you in. I need to change his nappy and feed him."

Hetty nodded and handed the boy over to her. She watched Bronte enter the house before joining Sam on the steps. "What's going on, Sam?"

Sam's face darkened, from being brought back to the realities of the day. "How well do you know Agent Michael Nassir and his wife, Melissa?"

Hetty looked over at Callen and the children as she answered him. "Very well." She turned and faced her agent. "Tell me, Sam, what's happened? I can see it in Bronte's eyes, she can't tell me."

"They were abducted from their home, early this morning. If it wasn't for Bronte, we wouldn't have known about Ella. She was hiding in the closet. LAPD received a call from neighbours who'd heard Melissa screaming for help. They found Thomas crying in his cot." Fear for Mick and Melissa grew within Hetty's gut. "Bronte told us that he's just returned from a four month deep undercover operation dealing with the Formosa Cartel using our ships to bring in cocaine."

Hetty drew in a ragged breath and stood up. Her legs betrayed her and shook. Sam quickly rose and grabbed her arm to steady her. "Thank you, Sam. It's just a shock. I had no idea that was where Mick was for the past four months." She shook her head. "No wonder why Bronte can't talk about it."

"She saw Mick in D.C. Director Vance updated her on the operation, thought that she would like to know after what happened in New York."

Hetty turned and faced him. "Mick should not have gone on that operation. He's too close to it."

"How close, Hetty? Bronte never mentioned her history with Mick, until Kensi and Deeks found the photos that Mick had kept of them and Joshua."

Hetty furrowed her brow and shook her head. "It was a difficult time for them both, to watch their son deteriorate and there was nothing that either of them could do for him." She was known for being so good at hiding her emotions, but talking about Joshua had her fragile at the edges. Tears welled up in her eyes and her voice quavered. "I've known Mick for as long as Bronte and he have been best friends. They did everything together. But after losing Joshua, Bronte couldn't deal with the pain and transferred back east. Then she met Greg and she began to heal somewhat. But I think she really locked the pain away. In time she started being in contact with Mick again, although they were now living on the opposite sides of the country. But whenever they could they would Skype and visit each other. Mick had met Melissa by then and the two families became close, especially after Ella was born. They both had moved on, married with a kid at least. Then when Greg and Carrie were killed, it was Mick who dropped everything to be at her side. He was her strength, when no one else could be."

"We've heard that he went undercover for Bronte. To give her the justice that she deserved for them."

"I told him that he shouldn't have gone." Bronte stepped out onto the verandah and heard the last part of their conversation. "I got so angry with him. But he couldn't see how dangerous it was dealing with this cartel. And now they've been taken because of me."

Sam gave her a quizzical look. "What do you mean, because of you, Bronte? You're here because of Max. They are trying to get to him."

Bronte shook her head. "I thought that too, until Callen pointed out to me just how similar Melissa is to me. Anyone who didn't know us, might get us mixed up. I see it now. She's in danger because they thought she was me."

"Why you, when you weren't involved in the Formosa case, nor at the park that day?" Sam was trying to put the pieces together, whilst his partner continued to distract the children.

Bronte shook her head. "I don't know why. I keep trying to understand all of this myself. If Mick's true identity got burned on the ship and he was followed home, the only thing I could think of, was that it was someone from our past on the USS Arlington. But there's no one from our time on the ship that would want to cause us any harm. The only link to his abduction is the case he was working on."

"But none of the other agents onboard the Arlington or the other ships have had any attempts to abduct them or harm them, since they've returned home." Bronte looked puzzled. "You really don't know why, do you?" Sam could see that Bronte was just as puzzled about this case as they were.

"No, I don't. If they were after me, I have no idea why. I wasn't on that operation and I haven't come in contact with any of them. If it's to get to Max, why, when they spared him at the time? None of these reasonings make any sense."

"Nell and Eric are looking into all angles. If there's a reason, they'll find it." Bronte nodded and headed back inside to check that Thomas had fallen asleep. She worried over her friends and what would happen to their children, if they didn't find them in time.

_A/N: But why is Bronte in danger, what has Callen realised? Love to know your thoughts, please leave a review._


	7. Chapter 7

Operation Formosa

By BH72

_Disclaimer: All events in this story are nonfiction and do not relate to anything that may happen on NCIS. The characters belong to Shane Brennan and CBS, I am thankful that I am able to borrow them until the next episode._

_A/N: Thanks for your continued support. _

**Chapter 7**

Callen left Bronte and the children with Hetty and Sam, while he headed back to the mission to find a clue to where Mick and Melissa had been taken to and by whom. Sam had chatted with him over his own conversations with Hetty and Bronte, but they still had nothing to help them find them. He entered the mission and climbed the stairs. He found Nell and Eric busy in Ops and Granger sitting at Hetty's desk, seeing Bronte was now in witness protection alongside Max and the Nassir children. "Nell. I need your help on piecing things together. Can we work downstairs?"

Nell nodded and followed Callen to a quiet corner in the alcove. "Have you crossed checked all the staff onboard USS Arlington to ensure that no one from when Mick was assigned to the ship with Bronte?"

"It was an extensive list, as you know. But Vance had the crew vetted to ensure that Mick's true identity wouldn't be burned during this op. Eric and I have placed their facials on our systems to see if any faces come up or have been found travelling through LAX. So far we have nothing."

Callen paced the floor behind her and stopped. "What about the New York case. Hetty mentioned to Sam that Mick was the one who dropped everything to be with Bronte after the shooting. Have you looked into the New York operation that Greg worked on?"

Nell took a deep breath in and opened up a file that had Callen knit his brows together. "Greg was undercover for three months with the Formosa Cartel. These are the images he'd placed on a thumb drive from those three months." Nell continued to type away and brought up another file. "This one is locked and it appears that not even Eric can crack it open." She looked intently at him. "We need the person with the key."

"Eric can break the internet. Surely he can break into this file?" He knew that Eric was one of the best at what he did, which is why Hetty had him on their team.

Nell shook her head. "He's tried. I've tried. It's well protected."

"Is it one of our files, or from the DEA?"

"Ours."

"Can you trace a name to who has the key to the file?" Callen watched Nell enter the search. He shook his head in frustration. _Michael Nassir. _Is he the only one with access to this file? What about Vance, can he tell us if there is anyone else who has the key?"

"I've tried. Vance is in a meeting and he hasn't returned my call yet."

"He realises that this file might have the answers to finding Mick and his wife, doesn't he?" It was unusual for their director to be unavailable at a time like this one.

"Did Mick create the document?" Nell nodded. "Anyone else accessed it?"

Nell quirked up her right brow and began typing away on the keyboard. "Gibbs. He's the only other one."

"Someone say my name?" Relief crossed over Callen's face upon hearing his friend's voice.

"Talk about timing. We need your help." Callen stepped back and allowed Gibbs to move in closer to the computer. "Apparently you and Mick are the only two who have access to this file."

Gibbs furrowed his brow and shook his head. "I can't get you in. I'm sorry, but not this file."

"But you've accessed it before."

Leroy Jethro Gibbs sighed heavily. He looked to DiNozzo and pondered before turning back to Callen. "Where's Bronte?"

"At a safe house with Max and Mick's kids. Why?" Callen knew that look and didn't like what it usually meant. But they were urgently trying to find Mick and Melissa before they were killed. If they hadn't been already.

"Good." He turned to Nell. "Can you take DiNozzo upstairs and see if he can help you find Mick and Melissa." He turned back to Callen and scanned around them. He waited till they were alone before he typed on the keyboard. "I am only showing you this because of the situation. But you cannot mention this to anyone, especially Bronte."

Callen furrowed his brow and took in a deep breath. _What was Mick and Gibbs hiding from Bronte?_ Callen's eyes widened as he read the report that Mick had written up back in October of nineteen, ninety-nine. It was when he and Bronte had been based in San Francisco and had been updated twenty months ago, after Greg and Carrie had been killed. "She knows nothing of this?" Callen felt the anger surge through his body at an alarming rate.

"No. Mick only told me for back up, incase anything ever happened to him. But he's tried his hardest to protect her from this." Gibbs shook his head. "He'll die for her, you know that, don't you? He's never stopped caring about her. They've been thick as thieves since the academy."

"Before today, I thought that they were strangers. It's been a hell of a day so far in all that we've found out. To find photos in Mick's house of the two of them with a boy, was a shock." Callen ran his hand over his face, feeling the effects of this case.

"It was too painful for her to talk about it. Mick was the one who told me about Joshua. But even Bronte doesn't know about any of this." They looked back at the documents and DNA test he'd had done on their son. Negative match to Mick, but a positive match to another man.

The name made Callen livid. "How come she has no knowledge of this, when this happened to her?"

"She was unconscious when Mick found her. This monster, he did this to her when she was knocked out from the drugs in her system. She was lucky to have survived it. It almost broke Mike. But he rescued her and took her home. When she came to, she had no memory of her time in captivity and thought that Mick was the father.

"So are you telling me, that Greg and Carrie weren't killed because he had been burned undercover?" Callen couldn't believe what Gibbs was showing him. Images of a drugged out and battered Bronte appeared up on the screen. The evidence was there, but locked away to protect her. If she had no memory of it, there was no way the either Mick or Gibbs was going to tell her.

"Yes." Gibbs heaved out his breath and saw the pain in Callen's eyes. He'd seen the same look in Mick's and knew that Callen would do anything to protect her. But now, with Mick and Melissa's lives hanging in the balance, he wasn't sure if he could continue to protect Bronte from the truth.

"Does Hetty know anything about this?"

Gibbs shook his head. "We daren't tell her."

**_Abandoned building in Montebello, Los Angeles…_**

Michael Nassir's head pounded as he pried his eyes opened and took in his surroundings. It was dark, with a stream of light coming in from a small window, high up the wall behind him. It provided him enough light to see around him and to find his wife. His memory was sketchy, but he remembered the men enter their bedroom and drag Melissa out of the bed. She was screaming and he tried to fight them off. Then everything went blank. He turned to his left and saw the outline of her sleeping form. He wasn't sure if she was conscious and had fallen asleep or if she had been knocked out like he had been or if they had drugged her. Fear for her safety grew within him, as he knew who they were. He'd gone deep undercover for the past four months for justice, from the deaths of Greg and Carrie. But he knew that there was far more involved in this than just the drugs. He'd tried for years to keep it hidden from Bronte the truth of what went down back in San Francisco, in October of nineteen, ninety-nine.

Anger surged through him, as he realised that it had come back to haunt him. He'd failed in ensuring that Bronte was safe. The men thought that Melissa was her and took her because he had to fall in love with a woman who reminded him so much of her. He was annoyed with himself for placing Melissa in danger. He should have predicted this, but never in his wildest dreams had he thought that the son of Luis Formosa, would search for her even after all of these years. He thought he had protected her and had moved on in his life without her, if it meant that she was safe and happy. But it all went south when he received a call from her, sobbing. He could hardly understand her, but he had dropped everything and caught the next flight to New York.

The only door into the room where they were tied up, opened and more light streamed inside. The men who entered were shadows with the light behind them. But then one of them turned the light on, causing Mick to squint. It was too bright for his eyes and he needed time to adjust. Then Adán Formosa stepped forward and hauled him off the floor. "Where is she?"

Mick furrowed his brow. "Who are you talking about?"

"The woman that you stole from me, fifteen years ago. She belonged to me and you took her." Adán Formosa snarled at him.

"I don't know who you're talking about." He let his English accent that he had picked up from his parents strengthen in his voice, in hope that it would confuse the man before him.

Adán moved back and looked at Melissa. "You will call her and arrange to meet you, or your wife will become mine, in her place. Your wife for Bronte."

It was no use, Mick realised. The man knew Bronte's real name. It proved to him what he had always suspected, that Greg had been targeted because he was her husband. He needed to warn Callen, he needed to keep Bronte out of this. He hadn't gone to all of this effort to have her placed in danger again. But then he looked at Melissa, who had begun to stir. He nodded to his captor and was relieved that Adán untied his bonds and handed him his cell.

**_Office of Special Projects…_**

Callen frowned at his cell, when he realised who was calling him. He indicated to Gibbs to put a trace on, and answered the call. Gibbs moved away from Callen and dialled DiNozzo, who he'd sent with Nell. "Need a trace on the call coming into Callen's cell, now."

"On it boss."

"Hello?" He remained quiet in his talking, to see if he could hear anything in the background.

"Bron, it's Mick. Are you back in L.A. yet?"

Callen picked up instantly that Mick had deliberately called his cell instead of Bronte's. "Yes, I am."

"Oh good. Mel and I are away for a few days, staying at the Hilton Checkers. We were wondering if you would like to catch up with us tonight for dinner, around 7?"

"Yeah, sure." Callen continued to answer softly. If whoever had taken Mick and his wife thought he was talking to Bronte, then he had to pretend to be her.

"Mel would love to hear all about your new man that you told me about the other day." Mick was telling him that Bronte had told him about him in D.C. and to warn him that any man associated with Bronte was in danger. With what Gibbs had told him, he knew that he had to be careful."

"Looking forward to catching up with you again. Bye."

Callen disconnected the call and turned to Gibbs. "We need people in at the Hilton Checkers Hotel stat. That's where Bronte is supposed to meet Mick and Mel at seven."

"He's a smart guy. Rang you instead of Bronte. He knows about the two of you and he's happy for you both. He saw how much her face lit up just hearing your name."

"We need to rescue them, or we'll miss our only chance in bringing them home alive."

**_Montebello…_**

"See, that wasn't so hard." Adán looked over to him and smiled.

Mick saw the fear in Melissa's eyes and she really thought that he had sold Bronte out. Although she had no idea what was going on, she knew that Mick had traded Bronte for her. And that this was tearing him apart on the inside. She was aware of their past and long term friendship and understood why he dropped everything, twenty months earlier for her when Greg and Carrie were killed. She saw him sign a name to her and she realised that he hadn't called Bronte, but Callen. She'd heard Bronte talk about Callen with love in her eyes and also knew that Mick worked with him. It gave her some peace of mind at least that he hadn't called Bronte.

"Tie his hands back up." Adán ordered, annoyed over Mick's signing. He'd witnessed the boy sign to his sister and father that day in the park. It was that reason that he had decided to spare him. He would leave her with the damaged child. But it wasn't the boy that he cared about. It was the woman, whom he knew had born his child. He'd searched for him and had yet to find his son. Anger surged through him as he slapped Mick across the face. "Now tell me, what happened to my son? Where is he?"

Mick shuffled on his spot on the floor and kicked out his legs to injure the Columbian. Adán fell hard on his arm, injuring him. He cursed out in Spanish at Mick, who understood every word he said. He held his right arm with his left to protect it as he stood up. He kicked Mick hard in the ribs, causing him to yell out in pain. It had bee worth it, Mick had decided. To suffer some pain just to give some back to the bastard. "He's dead." Mick coughed out.

Adán was taken by surprise by the answer. He studied Mick and realised that he was telling him the truth. He had never envisage that the boy could be dead. He would be fourteen now, had he been alive. Ready for him to train up to take over the family business one day. He stormed out of the room and paced the floor. He wanted the woman and his son back. His visage darkened as he thought over his plan. Not one woman had birthed him a son, other than Bronte. It's what made her special to him. All the others had born him girls, who only caused him more grief than any benefit. He barged back into the room and hauled Mick back up onto his feet with his left arm. His right arm throbbed and he knew that he would need a doctor to assess it. He just hoped that it wasn't broken. He needed his strength to control the woman. Or he'd have to drug her again. "When did he die?"

Mick could see that the Columbian truly cared for the boy, but it still didn't make him like him one bit. "Eighteen months. He had leukaemia." A tear ran down Mick's face, betraying him over his own love for the boy, even though he knew that this monster before him was the real father.

A groan escaped Adán's mouth at the realisation that his son had died so young from a disease. He slammed the door shut behind him and exited the building. He needed to get his prisoners ready to transfer to the Hilton in time for their meet with Bronte. He took in a deep breath and screamed out loud. It echoed throughout the abandoned commercial estate. His plans of training up his son was ruined. He paced the parking lot until an idea filled his mind. _We'll have another one. I will get her pregnant. Yes, that's what I'll do._

_A/N: What a shocker for Callen to discover the truth behind the Formosa Cartel and Bronte. How is Callen going to proceed with this meet at the Hilton without Bronte being involved? Kensi's hair is too dark and she's too tall. Nell is too short to even fool this Formosa of her being remotely close to Bronte. Love to know your thoughts, please leave a review._


	8. Chapter 8

Operation Formosa

By BH72

_Disclaimer: All events in this story are nonfiction and do not relate to anything that may happen on NCIS. The characters belong to Shane Brennan and CBS, I am thankful that I am able to borrow them until the next episode._

_A/N: Thanks for your continued support. _

**Chapter 8**

**_Hilton Checkers Hotel, Los Angeles…_**

Deeks and Kensi entered the Hilton dressed up for the night out. Deeks was in a navy suit and baby blue shirt that made him look every bit the part of the lawyer that he was. Martin Davies escorted his lovely wife, Jennifer, to the front desk. "Mr and Mrs Davies. We have a reservation."

"Welcome to the Hilton, Mr and Mrs Davies. Please sign here and may I please see some form of identification." Deeks pulled out his alias' drivers licence and nibbled on his wife's ear, to scan the lobby area of the hotel. Kensi looked in the other direction, but neither could see anyone linked with the Formosa Cartel. "Here is your key. You're in one of our Junior Suites on the fifteenth floor."

Deeks looked at the number and smiled at his partner. "Thank you very much. I'm sure we'll enjoy our stay." He led his so called wife to the lift and captured her lips for all around them to see, as they waited for the lift doors to open. It was imperative for any guests or hotel staff not to suspect them to be Federal Agents.

**_Ops Centre…_**

Nell and Eric had pulled through and found the information that they needed. In one of the other Junior Suites, Mr and Mrs Nassir were booked in and according to surveillance cameras, they entered thirty minutes earlier than Kensi and Deeks. Although they looked to be alone, Nell and Eric noticed the three men who hovered around them.

"Okay, Sam and Gibbs. You're turn to clean some windows on the fifteenth floor." It was the easiest floor for them to arrive onto to clean the windows, with the patio that stretched around the suites from the Presidential suite. With the bucket and squeegee in hand, the two agents posed as window cleaners began to get to work. They began with the Presidential suite before moving along to the Junior suites. "Okay, Callen. You're up."

Dressed in a waiter's outfit, Callen knocked on the suite where the Nassirs were booked into. "Your meal has arrived, Sir." Callen pretended to be a Russian, putting on his usual accent when undercover. Thankfully, Mick answered the door and relief washed over their agent, who was relieved to know that the team had come up with a plan to rescue him and his wife, Melissa.

Another man stood in the room and was annoyed over Callen being there. "We did not order anything." He came over and told Callen after he'd wheeled the trolley into the room.

Deeks timed it perfectly, coming in behind him, telling Callen that it was their order, picking up on the Columbian's protest for the food. "Excuse me, Sir, but this is the suite where I was instructed to bring the food to. I cannot just deliver to anyone who comes chasing after me, telling me that it's their food." Callen continued to argue with Deeks, as Kensi, who was crouched down underneath the trolley and hidden by the cloth, peeped out and found her target. She blew a dart laced with a sleeping sedative into his leg and waited for him to collapse. Please that her work was complete, she climbed out from underneath the trolley and handed Mick a weapon. DiNozzo knocked on the door, stating that he was called up due to some misunderstanding. Deeks and Callen both tried to explain their side of the misunderstanding, while Mick whispered to Kensi that Melissa was in the bathroom with the other two men.

"Someone's leaving the bathroom." Gibbs quietly called through on the comms, giving the other agents the heads up. Kensi hid behind the curtain as the second man entered the bedroom. Surprised to see the commotion still going on, he looked puzzled as to where his companion had gone to. Kensi walked up behind him and inserted another dart into his neck. He went down immediately, leaving one last man with Melissa.

Sam quietly cut into the glass of the bathroom and peeped through. Melissa sat in the bathtub, with her captor sitting on the toilet seat, holding a gun. He recognised the frustrations surging through the Columbian. From the photos that Nell and Eric had sent through, he knew that this was the new head of the Formosa Cartel. It was easier than they thought, to fool the Columbian and to chop the head off the cartel on their home turf. Sam fired his weapon through the hole and hit Adán Formosa in the head. He slumped to the floor and blood poured out onto the ceramic tiles. Melissa screamed and Mick ran in with his weapon held out front. Kensi and Callen followed and relief flooded their system that Adán Formosa and his men had been taken without a hitch.

Mick placed the safety switch back on his weapon and slid it into the small of his back. He pulled Melissa out of the bath tub and wrapped his arms around her. He let her cry and get the emotions of their abduction run through her system. She hadn't understood any of what they had been through that day, only that the man wanted Bronte. She'd heard Mick tell the Columbian about his son, Josh, but she was still puzzled. She looked up at him and he wiped her tears away. "Mick…" She took in a ragged breath to gain strength to continue. "Why did he want Bronte and why did he think that Joshua was his son?"

Mick looked awkwardly over to Callen and Kensi. Callen urged Kensi to leave them be and not to mention anything about what she had just heard to anyone. Kensi nodded and left, leaving Callen alone with them.

"Gibbs told me, Mick," Callen admitted. "I promise I would never tell her what really happened."

Mick nodded. "Thanks, Callen. I appreciate it, but it won't be easy. Not now. She'll want answers to why we were taken and by whom."

"We could just tell her that someone from your last case followed you and we got them, so it's now safe." Callen felt the need to protect Bronte at all costs, just like Mick and Gibbs had done before him.

"Mick?" Melissa had a quizzical expression on her face. "What happened?"

"Not now, Mel. Let's go home to our kids." He looked over to Callen. "Thanks for the rescue. I owe you one."

"No, Mick. That makes us even for when I threw you into the marina tied to concrete blocks."

Mel furrowed her brow, "What in the world is he talking about?"

"Long story, Mel. We'll talk later. But promise me that you won't say a word to Bronte about any of this. Only that someone from my last case followed me home. Okay?"

Melissa nodded, although she wasn't happy about it.

"Bronte and Hetty are with your kids at a safe house. I'll take you straight there."

"Thanks, Callen. They must be scared after what happened."

"Ella hid in a closet until Bronte found her. Thomas was found by LAPD crying in his cot, but once he saw Bronte, he's settled. They both have."

**_Safe House…_**

There were tears when Mick and Melissa entered the safe house and reunited with their children. Ella ran into her daddy's arms and snuggled into his shoulder. Thomas waddled, refreshed after his sleep and dinner. Melissa scooped him up into her arms and kissed his chubby cheeks. "We've missed you two so much." Melissa told them, thankful to be home.

"We missed you too." Ella told them.

Bronte walked over and hugged Melissa and Mick, relieved that they were found safe. "So glad the two of you are okay." She quickly wiped the tears that fell down her cheeks, annoyed with herself for getting so emotional. She turned to Callen. "Thank you, for finding them. Where did you find them?"

"In an abandoned warehouse in Montebello." Mick told her, surprising Bronte for answering for Callen. But the truth was, he needed to hide the truth of what really went down that day from her. Questions would be asked if the hotel came into mention.

"Told you that Eric and Nell are the best at what they do." Callen added, to take the pressure off Mick from Bronte's inquisitiveness. Mick was right about one thing, it was going to be difficult to keep this secret from her and he understood the strain Mick had been under for all of these years. If Bronte found out, the guilt that she would carry with her over the death of Greg and Carrie would be too much for her. Not that any of this ever had been her fault. She was the victim, but thankfully had been drugged and had no memory of her time in captivity with the Columbian.

There was a knock on the door and when Bronte answered it, her face lit up, seeing Gibbs and DiNozzo on the front verandah. "It's about time you came to L.A., Tony." She hugged both men and urged them inside.

"We couldn't head home without seeing you, Bron." Gibbs nodded over to Hetty who walked over and hugged him. "Nor your mother. Hello, Hetty."

"Jethro, it's good to see you again." She looked over at his companion and sized him up. "It's good to see that your team have better dress sense than my team here in Los Angeles." She stepped forward and outstretched her hand. "Hetty Lange."

Tony look down at the petite woman and felt her presence was as he'd heard. Never take this woman for her small package. She was larger than life. "Tony DiNozzo. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Lange. You may be a puzzle, but I like the way the parts fit."

Hetty roared out laughing at his use of one of Frank Sinatra's quotes. "I see that Bronte told you that I know Frank personally." She patted the back of Tony's hand, that she still held. "I've heard a great deal about you, Mr DiNozzo. You're love for the classics is the part I would love to spend more time talking with you about."

"If only we had the time." Tony relaxed and noted just how intricate Hetty was as a woman. When she needed to be, she was the tough ninja, but here in amongst family, she was a pleasure.

"Yes, I'm afraid we're needed back east, Hetty." Gibbs added and wrapped his arms around Bronte once more. "Good to see you both are safe now, Mick. It was good to see you again, Melissa."

"Thank you, Gibbs, for coming all of this way to help Callen and his team find us. You too, Tony." Melissa shook Tony's hand and gave Gibbs a hug.

Hetty and Bronte looked between them, curious to know exactly the details on what had gone down. But the main thing was that Mick and Melissa were now safe and could go home with their children and not fear about being taken captive again. But Bronte was too much like her mother, so it was no surprise once the Nassirs, Gibbs and Tony left, did she start inquiring for more information.

"Not much to tell, Bron. All you need to know is that Mick and Melissa are safe and the danger has been eliminated."

Hetty watched on and knew her team leader well. _He's hiding something. _She'd seen it in Mick's eyes too. _Not just today, but when Greg and Carrie were killed. Mick knows something and Callen now knows what it is. And I'll put my house on it, Gibbs knows it too,_ she pondered to herself. She brought a tray of tea out onto the verandah and joined Callen and Bronte who watched Michael and Max continue the leaf fight that Callen had enjoyed earlier with them and Ella. "Nothing like a good cup of tea to end the day with. You must both be exhausted. How about I cook you all dinner over at my place tonight?" She looked between them and suddenly doubted that either would even make it. They both looked shattered, which she realised was unusual for Callen. For a man who rarely slept, he looked like he was carrying the weight of the universe on his shoulders.

"I'll think we'll pass, Mom. But thank you. I've had a long day, starting early in D.C. I can't believe that Gibbs and Tony can return straight away and not want a good night's sleep first." She rested her head on Callen's shoulder, her eyes closed and soon her breathing evened and deepened.

"Why don't the four of you stay here for the night, Mr Callen. It looks like the boys are happy here. Have you thought about moving into a larger house?" Callen looked around and nodded. "I have, but the hassle of finding a good neighbourhood and a house at our price has put us off from looking. Plus we've been so busy with work of late." Callen gently moved hair from off Bronte's face and kissed her on the temple.

"Why don't you move in here. The four of you look so relaxed her. I don't think I've ever seen you so happy with the kids before today." Hetty stood up with the empty cups of tea and pot. "Think about it. After what I witnessed earlier, I can see that the two of you might be thinking of expanding your family."

Callen raised his brow in surprise. "I don't think Bronte could go there again, Hetty. After all that she's lost already, it's a big step for her."

"I know all too well what she's been through. Yet after losing Joshua, she still fell in love with Greg and had Carrie and Max. In time, she'll be ready for it. That I am certain. I see it in your eyes, Mr Callen. Your desire to have children with her." She left him alone to ponder on her words. Even if Bronte didn't want to take that step, she wasn't alone anymore, she had Callen to be there with her and she knew that with all that she'd heard from Vance, trouble from the Formosa Cartel would soon be a thing of the past.

_"__A/N: Will Callen and Mick be able to continue to hide the truth from Hetty and Bronte? Love to know your thoughts, please leave a review._


	9. Chapter 9

Operation Formosa

By BH72

_Disclaimer: All events in this story are nonfiction and do not relate to anything that may happen on NCIS. The characters belong to Shane Brennan and CBS, I am thankful that I am able to borrow them until the next episode._

_A/N: Thanks for your continued support. Sorry for the delay, life and my other stories 'On the Run' and 'Till Death Do Us Part' are all fighting for my attention._

**Chapter 9**

She knew that they were keeping something big from her. She'd seen it in Mick's eyes a long time ago and she saw it in his eyes when she'd lost Greg and Carrie. Fear knotted inside her stomach as she laid awake in a strange bed. Callen laid asleep beside her, his breathing was steady and it had deepened, so she knew it was safe for her to climb out of the bed. Since she and Max had moved in with him and Michael, Callen had slept the whole night through. It had surprised him at first, as it wasn't something that he was accustomed to. But after five months, he'd revelled in the good nights sleep. Now it was her turn to lay awake, where sleep refused to take her under into the unconscious bliss.

She quietly padded her way down the hallway and found her way out to the front verandah. She sat quietly swinging on the seat and looked out over the garden, the moon eliminating a soft hue over the trees and plants. She found peace on that swing. She wasn't sure why it soothed her so much, but all throughout the day, she found sitting on that swing seat provided the peace she sought. Being left in the dark over a case was never her strong suit. It was her best friend and his wife, whose lives were in danger, as she tried to direct her attention to their children for distraction. Callen had done a great job with the children and with her, before he headed off for the mission. However, what went on after that, remained a mystery. She should be thankful that Mick and Mel were safe and had returned home with Ella and Thomas. And she was, but she needed to know what really went down. Why were they taken, and by whom. Mick's answer to her question which she had directed to Callen, had taken her by surprise. It also proved to her that he was protecting her. But from what?

When Callen awoke at six the next morning, he was surprised to find the bed beside him empty. He felt the sheets and frowned at how cold they felt. They should be warm from Bronte's body. He climbed out of the bed and he went in search for her. After scouring the house, he found her asleep on the front verandah. With a cardigan pulled up over her slim body, she was fast asleep. She looked peaceful, just how he liked to see her, when she didn't worry about things. He also loved to see her laugh. He'd managed the day before to get her to laugh from his silly antics with the kids, which he was thankful for and he hoped that it provided the much needed distraction from reality. He left her be and entered the house to prepare the coffee machine and breakfast. Max and Michael would wake up soon and they would be hungry. Especially after all the running around that they had done the day before.

It was good for them to just play, he acknowledged. No toys were required, although a ball was always handy to have around to throw, kick and bounce. Yesterday had been a turning point for all of them, he realised. Bronte had been forced to finally tell him the last of her secrets and he saw now when he looked at her, the peace it had given her. He knew there had been something that she had kept from him over the past six months, but he hadn't been able to put a finger on it. And he'd finally let go around the kids. He relaxed and enjoyed the pleasure of fatherhood and he loved every moment of it. He hadn't felt eyes watching him, assessing on how he was doing bonding with his son, or with Max. Although both boys were easy to get to know and were well behaved, he'd held back. He wasn't sure on why yesterday was any different, but maybe it was this house, as Hetty had mentioned to him the night before.

"Good morning, sleepy heads." He signed to Max as he greeted his son at the same time. He threw a pancake over his head from the pan and cheered when it landed on a plate. He poured more pancake mix into the pan and delivered another pancake over to Max, one he'd made already. He was greeted with smiles from both boys who poured maple syrup and blueberries on their pancakes. The boys tucked into their breakfast and drank the milk he'd poured out for them. He felt hands wrap around him from behind and knew that Bronte had woken. "Morning, beautiful." He turned and caught her up into a dance as he moved around the kitchen to place the next pancake onto a plate. He leaned down and caught her lips in a morning kiss.

"Morning." She noted that he'd slept well and that he was in a good mood. It gave her hope that she was worrying for nothing. But with all that she'd been through, she couldn't shake the worrying that continued to fester inside her. "This looks good." He handed her the pancake and coffee. "Thanks, G."

"You're welcome, Bron." He narrowed his eyes and noticed the bags under her eyes. "How much sleep did you get last night?"

Bronte shrugged. "I have no idea. My brain refused to shut down."

Callen placed the pan back down on the stove top and took her properly in his arms. He lifted her chin up to look at him. "What's bothering you?"

"I don't know, G. This last case, that I've been left in the dark on, for starters. Why won't you tell me about it?"

Callen looked over her shoulder towards their sons and then returned his attention back to her. "There's nothing to tell you. You worry too much."

"For good reason." She turned and watched Max and Michael place their plates in the sink and head for the bathroom to clean their teeth. She faced Callen again and frowned. "I know when I'm being kept in the dark, G. Now spill, I'll only read your reports about the case anyway."

Callen sucked in this cheeks as he mulled over how he was going to tell her. "We've already written up our reports. They've been sent through to Vance. He wanted them ASAP, seeing it's related to the operation he's been overseeing for the past four months."

Bronte furrowed her brow and set her chin taut, annoyed. "You've what? Now I know that you're hiding something from me." She let him go and stormed off for the bedroom.

Callen watched on and knew that this was going to be harder than he thought. He hoped that it didn't cause grief in their personal lives. He cleaned up from breakfast and grabbed his car keys. He found her in the shower as he entered the bathroom to clean his teeth. "Are you going to be ready to drop the boys off at Ron and Andrea's or do you want me to return to pick you up after?"

"You take the boys over and come back to pick me up. I'll need to do my hair and makeup after this." He nodded and exited, leaving her alone in her thoughts.

**_The Mission…_**

The day involved a new case, that kept them busy for most of the day, which Callen was thankful for. Bronte brooded at her desk, keeping her focus on the paperwork that she hadn't gotten to since she'd left for D.C., a few days earlier. He could see the line in her forehead of concentration over her work and he hoped that it was all that kept her focus and not the Formosa Cartel. But what Callen didn't know, was that Bronte had spent a great deal of the night thinking and trying to piece together things. From her time in San Francisco, when she first saw that look in Mick's eyes, to New York, when she lost her husband and daughter, and then to yesterday. She already knew that the Formosa Cartel were to blame for Greg and Carrie's deaths and that Mick had been involved in bringing them down for revenge. So she at least had a start on trying to figure things out. But that was all. She delved into files from everything that she could find on the cartel. She brought an image up of the Formosa family and her body shivered at the sight of them. None of them looked like they would have been a loving family. How could they be, when they killed for a living? Not just with their guns, but through the drugs they distributed into the U.S., killing young men and women, some of them still boys and girls. Young lives lost from a drug that this cartel dealt in for money. With everything that she could find on them, her stomach continued to churn.

It was the son of Luis Formosa who caught her attention. His eyes were dark and evil and stared out from the screen at her as if he was seeping into her soul. She looked at the report to what his name was and furrowed her brow. Adán Formosa. It was the name of the man who had gunned Greg and Carrie down. In the past, she'd been kept away from ever seeing the face of their killer. A tear escaped as she looked the man in the eyes. Although it was only a photo on the screen, the man made her body shudder. She fisted her hands tight as she tried to control the anger that surged through her body. She googled his name and found a news report, declaring that the the son of the Formosa Cartel, who had taken over the reigns of the family's business had been killed in Los Angeles, the day before. Details of his death had not been released but a representative from the D.E.A. stated that it was a result of long ongoing investigation into the Cartel's import of cocaine into the country.

Relief washed over her. Their killer was dead. But it was the sketchy details that had her look up over at Callen who sat at his own desk with his back to her that had her wondering. Did they kill him yesterday? Was he the one who had kidnapped Mick and Melissa? Why was it that so many people dear to her had died or had been kidnapped by this cartel? She shook her head and stood up from the desk. She needed to clear her head. She shut her laptop down and walked to the firing range. She loaded her weapon with a fresh set of bullets and fired at the imaginary target. In her mind, the drawn figure on the sheet of paper was Adán Formosa. Now she had an image in her mind and she used that image to fire her weapon. Anger surged through her body as she fired her weapon, until all bullets had been discharged.

"I think you killed him the first time. I assume it was a him." Callen leaned on the back wall behind her and revealed to her that he had watched her.

Bronte turned and glared at him. "Why are you in here? Don't you have a case to work on?" He picked up on her annoyance in her tone, but chose to ignore it.

"Because I'm worried about you. Something's eating at you and prevented you from sleeping last night. I wish that you would talk to me, Bron." He remained where he was, knowing that she would only push him away.

"Huh! That's funny, you know, coming from you. When you tell me about yesterday's case, then I will tell you what's bothering me." She pressed the button for the sheet to move forward and replaced it. Once it was back into position, she reloaded her gun and fired again. Every muscle in her body screamed in anger as she fired the bullets into Adán Formosa's head and heart. She had killed him twelve times already, but she was determined to keep killing him until the anger left her. She continued to go through the actions of clipping in a new sheet and reloading. Callen watched on, until Sam entered and dragged him away to chase up a lead.

Once alone, she crumbled and cried into her hands. Her body shook as her grief over what she had lost and almost lost took hold of her. She hated this man more than any man she'd ever encountered. She knew she was being unreasonable with Callen, shutting him out like that, but she couldn't help it. She needed to know the truth. Why had Adán killed Greg and Carrie and kidnapped Mick and Melissa? She'd worked it out that he was the one behind it, and was determined to get to the bottom of the truth.

_A/N: Will Bronte find out the truth on her own? Will Callen be able to pull her out of this mood and help her before she spirals downwards into depression? Love to know your thoughts, please leave a review._


	10. Chapter 10

Operation Formosa

By BH72

_Disclaimer: All events in this story are nonfiction and do not relate to anything that may happen on NCIS. The characters belong to Shane Brennan and CBS, I am thankful that I am able to borrow them until the next episode._

_A/N: Thanks for your reviews and for reading this story. Warning: this chapter delves into subject matter that may concern some readers. Read at your own risk._

**Chapter 10**

Days blurred into each other and soon a few weeks had passed by. Callen looked on in despair as he watched Bronte become skin and bone, hardly eating and the bags under her eyes deepened. He'd had enough of what the Formosa case was doing to her, whether she knew the truth or not. He'd had enough watching her destroy herself from the inside. He called around to see Mick, who was still on leave after a year of back to back operations, to spend the time with his family. "I'm worried about Bronte, Mick. She's not sleeping, hardly eating and she looks like death warmed up."

Mick sighed and shook his head. "It's my fault, Callen. I should have been honest with her from the beginning. But I couldn't. If you had seen the state I found her in after I rescued her from Adán fifteen years ago, you would see why I chose to keep it from her. But I never thought that the Columbian would go in search for her and his son. After Joshua died, she was a mess and when she transferred to New York, I thought, at least she'll be safe there. Far away from where she'd been kidnapped and drugged." He couldn't go on to talk about what else she had gone through. The memories of that day remained ingrained into his mind like it happened yesterday. "I never envisioned that he would find her in New York and kill Greg and Carrie. I was in shock, and yet I still found myself lying to her. Agreeing with everyone else that he'd been burned from his undercover op within the cartel. That's why it was so important for me to go undercover to stop them from bringing the drugs into our country. I needed to do something. I felt so helpless."

Callen placed his hand on Mick's shoulder for comfort. "I know. I would have done the same thing, in your position. But keeping it from her is not helping her anymore. We need to do something to help her."

"I'll talk to Gibbs. He might know what to do."

That night, Bronte screamed out in her sleep. It was another restless one, but this one was a nightmare. She was in a dark alley with her gun at the ready and she had been separated from her partner, Mick. She felt a hand over her mouth and a needle pierce the skin in her neck. Everything went blank, until she found herself tied up in a dark room. The air was musky and thick and her hands were tied up to a post. She tried to free her hands, but it was no good. She was on something soft, but smelt horrid. She felt nauseas as she realised that she was held prisoner.

She thrashed in the bed from fear. Her nightmare felt so very real to her and sweat beaded along her brow and her body. Callen tried to soothe her out of the nightmare, without any luck.

She heard footsteps come closer and for the first time since waking up, she realised that she wasn't alone in the room. The man's face looked evil, his dark brown eyes stared into her own eyes and fear for her life made her scream. He laughed at her fear and placed his hand over her mouth to muffle it. He sat down on the bed beside her and gently guided his hand up the inside of her leg. She moved in protest as he grabbed her crotch hard. Pain surged through her body as she tried to scream out for help. He went gentle again, causing confusion from her.

Callen watched on in frustration as Bronte screamed a horrid shrill out of her mouth and fought him off her. Her breathing became rapid and her body dripped with sweat as she continued to be trapped in her dream. He dialled his cell and asked for Mick to come over immediately. Mick had more experience with dealing with Bronte, this was a whole new situation he'd found himself in with her. He couldn't ring Hetty, she was still on strict rest from stress, from the doctor.

Bronte's stomach churned as she felt helpless from what this man was doing to her. Touching her in places no man should, unless she permitted it. The man smiled and sucked hard on her nipple, causing sensations that she shouldn't have been feeling. This was wrong. So very wrong. He had control over her body where she did not and it scared her even more than being held captive by him.

She sat up, panting, her breathing remained quick as the adrenalin continued to surge through her body after she had escaped the nightmare. She looked like a wild cat as she stared at a worried Callen. "It's okay, Bron. You're safe." He tried to soothe her by rubbing his hands up and down her arms, but she was in such a state, her eyes were wild and her pupils enlarged. Her body shook as she tried to calm down from the nightmare. It felt so very real to her that it freaked her out. The sensations the fear, the man's eyes. She shook her head as she realised who the man had been. Adán Formosa.

A knock at the door caught Callen's attention, giving her the opportunity to escape and she locked herself in the bathroom. When Callen returned with Mick, they sighed and looked over at each other with worry for her knowing that she had locked them out. But they waited, like she knew that they would. There was a lot of goodness in both men, that had drawn her to them in the first place. Neither man would hurt her and they would risk their lives to protect her. She knew that already, yet it frustrated her that they had hidden something from her. She knew now that Callen had been told by Mick exactly what it was that Mick had been protecting her from for all of those years.

Tears poured down her face as she remembered the horror that her brain had shut out fifteen years earlier. "Oh Joshua. You were so very much loved. You were our angel. A light in our dark world." The reality of truth hit her with a bang. Her precious son had been the result of evil, not love. She took in a ragged breath as she realised the lengths that Mick had gone to, to protect her. She remembered it all now. How Mick had rescued her, although she was not in a fit state to respond to him. She had been drugged when Adán had finished his sessions with her. It kept her quiet, until he was ready to taunt her again. She choked on a sob that escaped her mouth and when Callen unpicked the lock, they found her curled up in a ball, rocking herself and crying. He wrapped his arms around her and tried to soothe her. He picked her up and carried her back to the bed and pulled the quilt over her body.

Callen left Mick to sit with her, while he prepared for a new day. The boys had woken from hearing Bronte's screams but he had managed to keep them out of the bedroom. Max was worried and refused to eat his breakfast. Callen caught his attention and signed to him. "If you don't eat, whose going to be strong for your mom?"

Max looked in the direction of the bedroom before capitulating and ate his breakfast. He understood what Callen was getting at. While his mom was unwell, the rest of them needed to look after themselves so they could be strong for her.

Callen not only worried about Bronte, but the effects her downward spiral was having on her son, Max. He was a great kid, who'd watched her deteriorate in recent weeks and he had tried his best to pull her out. But this nightmare that had held her under this morning had him worried. He'd called Nate for help and he'd promised to be there in a few days. But the situation had gotten worse and he daren't leave her alone in the house. He had work to do, they both did, but she was far from doing her job. Hetty had returned on a temporary basis, after admitting to him a week before that she had resigned and Bronte had been awarded the position, full time. She'd passed her psych evaluation, but that was before Mick and Melissa had been kidnapped. It was the event that had made her snap. Something that not even the death of Greg and Carrie had achieved. It had something to do with Mick, Callen realised, which is why he allowed him to sit with her. He knew her much better than most and he prayed that he could be of some form of help.

Callen dropped the boys off at Ron and Andrea's and was so thankful to have them help them out, especially with Bronte being in the state that she was in. She needed help, to talk to someone, but getting her there was going to be a challenge. Nate couldn't get there in time, so he'd recommended a woman who was good helping agents to deal with difficult situations they faced in their line of work. Fiona Carter was a woman in her forties, with two sons. She'd worked in the field of psychology for twenty years and was well respected amongst her peers. As a favour for Nate, she'd found a slot to fit Bronte in.

Callen talked to Bronte as per any normal morning, but her attention remained elsewhere, until she noticed the change in direction. At first she wondered if it was just another detour, so they wouldn't be followed, until Callen pulled into a multi storey car park in downtown Los Angeles. She hesitated on why they were there and eventually he admitted the truth. "You need to talk to someone, Bron. We're all so worried about you. I can't watch you kill yourself. I love you too much for that. Please, Bron. If not for yourself, for Max and for me."

Bronte was too exhausted to fight and allowed him to lead her towards the lift. She remained quiet up to the twentieth floor, where they exited and walked down a corridor to a suite. When Callen opened the door, he held it opened and his heart sank, when he watched Bronte, a mere shell of herself walk in and sit down. He walked over to the receptionist and told her that Bronte was there to see Dr Carter, before joining her in the waiting room.

Within five minutes, Fiona Carter exited and walked straight over to Bronte. She saw the worry in Callen's eyes and knew why Nate had asked her to fit her in. "Hello, Bronte. I'm Fiona Carter. Let's go into my office for some tea."

Callen sat back and watched the two women walk away and looked at his watch. It was just after eight in the morning and he wondered how long she would be in there. He picked up a magazine and flipped through the pages before discarding it and picking up another. After an hour and a half, the door opened and Fiona walked over to him. "Mr Callen. Please come with me." He followed her into another room and closed the door behind them. "I need to speak with you alone. Bronte's been talking, which is a really good sign. But there are things that are confusing her and I need clarification if she is really remembering something that has actually happened or if its a distortion of the truth."

Callen furrowed his brow, his heart pounded in his chest as Fiona played the recording of some of what Bronte had told her. His hands fisted in his lap and tears welled up in his eyes as he listened to Bronte describe in great detail her time in captivity with Adán Formosa. He quickly wiped the tears away and looked at the doctor. "She's remembered." He rubbed his hand over his face and was at a lost of what to do next.

"So it's true then. That she was taken captive and this man she mentions, did all of those things to her." Callen nodded.

"I didn't know her back then, but her best friend, her old partner, Mick, knows all about it. We had a difficult case a few weeks back, Mick and his wife were abducted. We were trying to solve who had taken them and it was then I realised how similar Mick's wife and Bronte looked. It was then that we discovered that she had a child with Mick, but he got sick with leukaemia at one and at eighteen months he died. Only to find out by another colleague who had been told by Mick, what really had happened. Their son was a result of her time in captivity. She had no memory of this time. Mick thought it was best to protect her and pretend that the child was his. Then he died and she asked for a transfer, to get away from the memories of their son. She moved to New York where she met Greg and they married. They had two children together. Carrie was ten when she was gunned down along with her father by this man who…" The emotions of the whole events was too much for Callen. He needed a breather. There was so much to tell this doctor, in hope that she might be able to help Bronte heal from this. He stood up and walked over to the window and watched the goings on below at street level. When he turned around, he saw Bronte standing in the doorway.

"I needed to know if it was true," she stepped forward. "This was the only way to confirm if I was going mad, or…" Callen moved the rest of the way over to her and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her on the forehead and shed some more tears.

"I love you, Bron. I want to help you. Show me how I can do this." He looked down at her and watched her nod.

"You just did. I knew that Mick had told you. The way you and Mick tried to hide what had happened that day when you rescued them. I had seen it in his eyes before. On two previous occasions. The only thing I didn't understand, was why he had that look back when we were partners in San Francisco. But then the nightmare I had this morning. It felt so real. I could feel everything that he did to me. It was then I realised what had happened and why Mick tried to protect me." Tears poured down her cheeks as she tried to rein in her emotions. "That's why he killed Greg and Carrie, isn't it? Because of me."

It broke Callen's heart to see her like this, but not telling her was doing more damage than to be honest with her. "Mick seems to think so. He had all the evidence against him in a locked file. When they went missing, not even Eric could get into it. We managed to find out that Gibbs had access to it and when he arrived in L.A. to help find Mick and Melissa, I tried to get him to open it up." He wiped her tears from her eyes and kissed her on the lips. "Gibbs only showed me, only the three of us know what really happened that day. But he took Melissa, because the men he hired thought she was you. But he knew they had taken the wrong woman. He wanted you to find your son." It was difficult for him to tell her this, but he saw in her eyes that she knew the truth now. "Mick told him that he'd died and he then became determined to get hold of you. Mick tricked him and called me instead of you. Mick was supposed to trade you for Melissa. If you didn't come, he was going to take Melissa back to Columbia with him. We came up with a plan and took him and his two goons down. His goons were arrested but Sam killed him. No one else knows why he was after you. They all think it's because of him wanting to get to Max from witnessing the shooting in New York." He led her to sit down and take it all in. He watched her process the information, as she furrowed her brow and had that far away look in her eyes.

When she was finished she returned to him and looked him directly into his eyes. "Thank you, G. For being honest with me." She stood up and paced the floor. She looked over at the doctor, who had become a fly on the wall for the most part. "Thank you, Dr Carter. I didn't realise just how much I needed that."

Fiona Carter leaned forward in her seat. "What are you going to do now?" She was impressed on how well Callen and Bronte related with each other and that he was honest with her. That was the most important factor in all of this. She needed to know the truth. Searching for the truth had led her on this downward spiral.

Bronte shrugged. "I don't know. Hug Mick for being the best friend anyone could ask for, for starters. Then Sam for killing this monster. I suppose I need to talk some more. A great deal more. I've locked away the pain from losing Joshua a long time ago, but this has pulled it all back to the surface. And now that the memories have returned, I need to deal with them too."

Fiona gave her a warm smile. "You're a wise woman, Bronte. Many of my patients spend many months sitting in the chair wondering why they're here before they come to that kind of conclusion."

"I must get that from my mother." Bronte's hand went over her mouth. "I've got to tell her. I can't hide this from her. Not now that I remember. She'll go crazy trying to work out what's happened to me." She shook her head and went back to pacing. "But I can't. She's not allowed the stress."

Callen stood and walked over to her. He held her shoulders in both hands. "Bronte. She can deal with this. Watching you fall away like you have for the past few weeks has affected her more than hearing the truth will. Seeing you deal with this will give her the peace of mind." It was the truth, it helped him a little, seeing her accept the truth like she had. He knew the nightmares will remain for a while, until her brain has completed processing it all.

Bronte looked up into his cerulean orbs and nodded. She knew that Callen was right. It was better to be honest with her mother and with herself.

_A/N: Did anyone see the ploy that Dr Carter did on Callen, thinking that she needed to talk to him alone and managed to get him to spill the truth to her and have Bronte listen in? But it was what Bronte needed. It was the not knowing that was destroying her. Love to know what you think, please leave a review._


End file.
